BV 



ivK-^ 



..^,:* 







00 
CO 










i 

c 



a 

m 

3 



T 



CO 
CO 



«5i 



^ 

•-^t 



OF 



ANGEU mm n imom 



AND 



SKETCHES OF THE FRIENDS' MEXICAN MISSION. 



By Samuel A. Purdie. 







Publishing Association of Friends, 

CHICAGO, ILL. 

1885. 



^^ 



a?^^^ 
^«^ 



ERRATA. 

A few typographical errors liave escaped the attention of the 
author in proof reading. 

Page 81. — Chapter xiii should be Chapter xn. 

The division of several words at end of lines lias been acciden- 
tally erroneous. 

The statement on page 48 that there were only two inquisitions 
in Spain in 1559. is probably an error, yet the Autos in which 
ProtestanU suffered were limited to Talladolid and Seville. 

By the statement on page 97-'*who though know under another 
name are really Jesuit," it is not intended to state that the 
"Ohlates of Mary" are a part of the Jesuit order, but a kindi^ed 
institution. 




GO 



Ct5 













. 00 
H 00 



P 

P 



Introductory Sk etch. 

The great liberal movement of 1857, led by Benito Juarez, gave 
religions liberty to Mexico and paved the way for a reform move- 
ment, & for introducing- the Protestant worship into the country. 
Soon after two priests led forward two independent movements 
in this direction. That of Ramon Lozano is clearly portrayed in 
this volume. One in the city of Mexico initiated by a priest named 
Aguilar i)ecame the nucleus of the Protestant Episcoi)al Mission 
established about the year 18(39 or 1870. In this latter year a Do- 
minican Priest named Manuel Aguiks read several leaflets with a 
view to refute the arguments of the Protestant missionaries but 
becoming convinced of the truth of the reasonings of his oppon- 
ents he openly espoused the Protestant cause which he defended 
with ability and preached with an energy superior to his physical 
strength. In November of 1872 he was left in charge of the mis- 
sion by Bishoi) Riley, and on one occasion fainted in the pulpit 
and Avas carried to his room^ where he died from the results of 
his over exertion. 

He was an able controversial writer and his death was a severe 
stroke to the cause, yet just at that time the missions which had 
been opened in Zacatecas and Nuevo Leon by the American 
Christian Union began gaining strength, the Ba])tist churches 
were organized, and the Friends' Mexican Mission was opened by 
the writer of this volume on the 28th of iSTovember 1871. 

My attention was called to this field, because having become 
interested in the spread of peace j)rinciples, for which I had suf- 
fered somewhat during the war which desolated my native land, 
I longed to do something to stay the tide of blood which was 
being shed in intestine strife in tliese countries, and to give them 
the Gospel of peace and ]Turity in ])hice of their superstitious 
Romanism, and the degrading influence of tlseir ])riesthood. 

My aim was a Publishing House, and tlie title of our paper, 
"El Ramo de Olivo,'' was written on a fly leaf of my Latin Lex- 
icon, long ere I offered my services to the Friends' Foreign Mis- 
sion Association of Indiana Yearly Meeting, which was in April 
1871. 

Just lifter ofl'ering my services to them 1 learned that a Span- 
iard was wor]i:ing in a gold mine about three miles from my home, 
near Ashboro N. C. and on making him a visit, being able to 
speak intelligil)ly a few words in his native tongue, this fact drew 

V 



VI INTRODUCTORY SKETCH, 

liim to me in near aflectiou. 1 often read witii liim in Spanish 
Tracts and on leaving for Mexico gave him my Spanish Bible. 

3Iy expectation Avas to locate at Victoria, capital of Tamaiili- 
paSj and if possible make the work as near self-sustaining as 
practicable. 

At that time there Avere no international mail facilities between 
the Spanish American Eepublics, and it was evident that my ex- 
l^ectations would in part be frustrated. It was proAddential that 
1 Avas in the held Avith a use of the language i^erhaps surpassed 
by few foreigners and with an able corjis of natiA^e contributors 
to the paper ere it could Aving its way to those countries. 

Detained in Matamoros by the lieAolution which terminated 
with the death of Benito Juarez, a congregation had gathered 
around us giA'ing promise of great local good, and it did not seem 
best to leave this gathering for a new field, and thus for our 
book work this change prov^ed A^ery beneficial as it placed us in 
the free trade belt where Ave could import paper free of duty, thus 
reducing the cost of materials to one half Avhat it would ha\^e been 
at Victoria, and we could also use the facilities of the United 
States postal laws for remitting our publications to other Spanish 
Countries, thus we see the AAisdom of our HeaA'eniy Father in 
detainino; ns where Ave could be most extensiA^elv^ useful. 

Our first work was tract distribution from our rooms at 64 and 
()ij Calle de 3Iatamoros, and we Avere abundantly supplied Avith 
those issued by the Amwicaii Tract Society, through the kind in- 
fluence of our friend Robert Lindley Murray, and through the 
kindness of the American Bible Society books were furnished for 
a Aigorous cauA'ass of the city, Avhere oA-er oOi) Bibles and Testa- 
ments were circulated through our agency during the year 1872. 
Often in after years on interrogating a new couA'ert, either in our 
oAvn or the Presbyterian Mission, they would refer to books which 
they had received through our cauA'assers, who receiA-ed a small 
compensation from sales, but never hesitated to giA^e when it 
seemed best. 

In the summer of 1872 our Friend Anna C. Tatum of Xevv York 
and her two sisters gaA*e us a Small Quarto Cottage press and 75 
lbs, of type, in order to issue tracts setting forth more particular- 
ly those important T)oints of (xospel Truth Avhich seemed partially 
to be overlooked by other churches, among these Peace Tracts 
being particularly necessary. 

We at once issued our monthly paper, ''El Hamo de Olivo," 
which has been continued to the present time Avith a constantly 
enlarging field of influence in the cause of Christ. 

The Avant of suitable school books for our Mission Schools was 
apparent so soon as they were established, Avhich was early in 



INTBODUCTOEY SKETCH. VII 

187:2. The Scliool Books issued in Mexico were intensely Catholic, 
those issued in New York by business firms though less so, all 
had Catholic forms of prayer, whilst those from l^aris were more 
or less antagonistic to all religion. 

We had to begin with A. B. C. although our First Keader was 
better adapted to the word method than any other l)ook which, 
liad preceded it. We only hoped to supply our own school and 144 
co])ies were issued. This edition lasted over two years and was 
mostly circulated gratuitously. Just as it was exhausted in 1874, 
Presbyteriaii and Methodist Missions were organized in all parts 
of the country and our "First lieacler" was called for. From that 
time to the present it has gained favor until about 1000 copies 
pe^r month are sold to schools in Mexico, Texas and New Mexico. 
It has been followed by a complete series of reading books, deci- 
<ledly evangelical in their teaching, and unexpectedly to us they 
have gained favor in many public* schools in all parts of Mexico. 

As early as 1875 the Catholic Papers declared our Juvenile 
Issues to be the most dangerous element they had to encounter, 
and unless they, could be (counteracted the coming generation 
would entirely abaiulon Romanism. 

The local work consisted of a Girls' School, and a meeting and 
Sabbath School, at the time the reader is introduced to the Mis- 
sion in this volume, which gives a, few characteristic incidents 
rather than a detailed narrative of the w^ork. Our work has grow^n 
up at the same time with the many other missions which have 
been o])ened in this land and to whom we feel bound as brethren 
in a common cause. 

An inside view of Mission Work and particularly that of the 
Friends' Mexican Mission is given in the present volume, not 
with any view to claim tor ourselves any growth which an in- 
-crease- giving God has granted to our mission, but with thank- 
fulness to recognize his many mercies and kind providences and 
the fuliilment of his ])romise, "Lo I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world." 

Samuel A. Pitbdie. 
Matamoros, December 1, 1884, 



THE LORD'S PRAYER IN SPANISH. 

PADRE NUESTRO. 

Padre Nuestro que estas en los cielos: sea saiitifi- 
cado td nombre; venga tu reino, sea hecha tu 
voluntad, como en el cielo, asi tambien en la tierra: 
Danos hoy nuestro pan cotidiano, y perdonanos 
nuestras deudas, como tambien nosotros perdonamos 
a nuestros deudores. Y no nos metas en tentacion, 
mas libranos de mal; porque tuyo es el reino, y el 
poder y la gloria por todos los siglos. Amen. 

THE LORD'S PRAYER IN AZTEC. 

IZCATQUI IN TOTATZINE. 

Totatzine, inilhuicac timetztica, mayectenebualo 
in motocatzin: matohuicpa huala in motlatocayotzin: 
macblhualo in tlalticpac in motlanequilitzin, inyuh 
chibualo in ilhuicac. Ma axcan maxitechmomaquili, 
in totlaxcal momoztla ye totech monequi, ihuan 
maxitecbmotlapopolhuili in totlatlacol, inyuhqui 
tiquin tlapopolhuia in tlatlacame tech tlallacalhuia : 
yhuan macamo xitech mo cahuili tihuetzizque ipan 
inteneyecoltilizpan: mazanye xitechmomaquixtili 
inpan nochin tlen ahmo cuali. Mayuhqui mochihua. 

VIII 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

Comparative position and privileges of woman in England, thcJ 
United States and Mexico, illustrated by familiar exami)les, 
including the Corregidora of Queretaro and la Cenerala of 
8oto la Marina 1 9. 

CHAPTER II. 

Birthi>lace of Angela Aguilar de Mascorro, general sketch of the 
coast region of Tamaulipas^ and the origin and character of 
its inhabitants. . . .11 18. 

CHAPTER III. 
Birth and early life of Angela Aguilar y Zufiiga, with an insight 
into the domestic life of the Mexicans 19 26. 

CHAPTER lY. 

Early religious training. Death of her father. Removal to San 
Fernando, where the history of Father Lozano the first Mexi- 
can reformer is introduced and his teachings reviewed. ... 

27 32. 

CHAPTER V. 

She is sent to the village school. Description of village schools 
in Mexico. Religious training. Her confirmation and subse- 
quent earnestness in the confessionai . . . . 33 -39. 

CHAPTER YI. 

A colporteur visits San Fernando. RcDioval to Matamoros, and 
first acquaintance with Protestantism. Attends our meeting 
for the first time. . . .40-- 44. 

CHAPTER YII. 

Obstacles to be overcome. Attends meeting again. The speaker 
is introduced and meeting described. Yisit of Gulielnia M. 
Purdie and influence of a tract 45 52. 

CHAPTER YIIL 

Openly embraces protestantism. Is admitted a member of 
Friends' Society. General view of the Mexican Mission in 
1875. Xew difidculties 53 57. 

TX 



5t TABLE OF COS'TEXTS. 

CHAPTER IX. 
Tlie darkest hour before dawn. Becomes an inmate of the mission 
family. First efforts to interest the children in Gospel Hymns. 

....59 63. 

CHAPTER X. 
Fuller organization of the native church, and absence of their 
pastor. How the meetings were conducted. Darkening poli- 
tical clouds. . . -65 71. 

CHAPTER XI. 
Anxiety of Gulielma from both reasons, my absence, and the 
threatening revolution. Arrival home. The storming of Ma- 
tamoros. Trials during the occui^ation of the city, until the 
entry of General Escobedo .... 73 80. 

CHAPTER XII, 
Occupation of the city by Gen. Escobedo. Prolonged siege, with 
the history of the Mission Church during the summer of 1876. 
....81 86. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Conversion of Luciano Mascorro. Incidents during the *'big 
drunk" which followed the entry of the forces of Gen. Corti- 
na.... 87 94. 

CHAPTER XIY. 

Successful efforts of Angelita in Mission Work. Controversy 
with the Priests. Growth of the church. Character and stabil- 
ity of the Mexican converts .... 95 99. 

CHAPTER XY. 
Preparations for Christmas. Return of the Flores family. Remark 
able instance connected ^vith the illness and death of Pedro 
Gonzalez. The marriage of Angelita. . . .101 107. 

CHAPTER XTI. 

Conversion of Julio Gonzalez Gea. Recognition of Luciano Mas- 
corro as Minister of the Gospel. Visit to San Fernando. Epi- 
demic fever. The admission of I. Bolado. Christmas exerci- 
ses.. ..109 113. 

CHAPTER XVIL 

Journey to Gomez Farias. The work- at Mat am or os. Birth of S* 
P. Mascorro. Removal to San Fernando. Return and illness 
of Angelita. Death of their child .... 115 123. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Interest in the Gospel at Farias. Missionary journey of Luciano 
Mascorro through Tamaulipas. Return in comi)any with Ca- 
lixto Lara. Hindrances to the permanent occupation of Go- 
mez Farias. Appeal from Yucatan. . . .125 130. 



T.VBLE OF CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Building of Friends' Mission Chapel. Continued ill health of An- 
gelita. Opening of the new pluce of worship. Removal to 
Gomez Farias. . . .131 137. 

CHAPTER XX. 

Hurricane at Matamoros. Small-pox. W. A. Walls visits the 
Southern Mission. A narrow escape. Flight of Gulielma. W. 
A. Walls revisits the Southern Mission 139 149. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Preparations for my absence. Encarnacion Gonzalez and wife 
join our Mission, and are sent to Gomez Farias. Luciano and 
Angelita return to Matamoros. Her death. Eulogy written 
by Calixto Lara. Concluding remarks. . . .150 154. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Sketch of the Mission from the death of Angelita to the present 
time ... - 155 100. 



POSITION OF PLATES AND MAPS. 

Portraits of Luciano and Angelita to face title. 
Portraits of S. A. and G. M. Purdie to face Introduction. 

Max) ^'^ Central America to face page x 

Map of Mexico to face page xii 



THE SPANISH AMERICAN MISSION FIELD. 



Aside from. Mexico there are in Septentrional America^ as tlie 
Spanisli Geograpliers caJl that portion between the Eio Grande 
and the Isthmus of Darien, five other republics having similar 
governments to that of ^Mexico and in all of them the same contiict 
between Chnrch and State exists as in 3Iexico. In Gnateinala 
there is a powerful anti-clerical league, and a most resolute 
opposition to all clerical influence in government matters is every- 
where manifest. Education is carried forward \igorously in all 
the principal cities, the leading female teachers being from France 
and tinctured with infidelity. Our paj^ers are extensively cir- 
culated in all these republics and the public libraries are sui)plied 
with comi)iete sets of oiir x^ast volumes, and also copies of all our 
religious publications. 

Costa Eica has but recently opened her doors to the Gospel, 
and the Jesuits who had charge of education have been expelled. 
Eecently the Codifiying Committee of Congress met and the 
leader thereof said: — ''We live in the last half of the nineteenth 
century, and in accordance with its tenor I refuse to adniinister 
an oath and shall accept your promise. The Quakers were allowed 
this privilege two centuries ago and not a case of false evidence 
can be charged against them." 

Regular Mail Steamship lines connect the northern x)orts of 
Central America with Veracruz, ^N'ew Orleans and St. Thomas, 
W. I. where connecting lines run to Panama, and La Guayra, 
Venezuela. There is another Mail Line, (from San Francisco 
to Panama.) carrying Mexican Mails from Acapulco, touching at 
all the Pacific Ports. 

In Colombia, Chili, Argentine Republic and Uruguay are Pro- 
testant missions, and Dr. Taylors sell-sustaining missions exist 
in Peru aside from a few other points. Ecuador is now closed 
against Protestants, and in alliance with the Jesuits who have 
charge of Public Instruction. Our own publications are extensive- 
ly circulated outside of Protestant Mission circles in Colombia, 
Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentine Republic and Chili, and a few 
copies in Ecuador during the dictator-ship of Gen. Veintemilla. 
Except in Uruguay, Argentine Republic and Cliili the Protestant 
missions have labored with but little fruit, in some i^laces seven- 
teen years without a convert, yet their labor is not lost, and the 
word of the Lord will not return unto him void, but will fulfil its 
purpose in His own time. 









iA 







Mexican Missio 
ba, Porto Rico 
there with the ] 
ish geographei 
and &nlf of Me 



Sliiltfff iifiii Em &t Snitlfi. 





ZtyuofSiy""'^ di'J7'U\^fMt»- 






Shows the Mail- Steamship Lines by which the Ke- 
hgious Books and papers issued hy the Friends' 
Mexican Mission are sent to the RepubUcs of Central America and to Cu- 
ba, Porto Rico and Hayti as well as to the Isthmus of Panama connecting 
there with the Mail hues to the Spanish South American Countries. Span- 
ish geographers give the name of Mar de Colon to the Carribean Sea 
and Gulf of Mexico, which form a Mediterranean Sea of the New World. 



PEONUNCIATION OF SPANISH NAMES. 



As many Spanisli names occur in this volume we Avill give a 
few rules for their pronunciation, which may serve as fully, if ob- 
served, as a vocabulary. 

YOWEL SOUNDS. 
A is always open Italian a as in father. 
E always has the sound of a in fate. 
I always sounds like ee in meet. 
O always sounds like long o in ;pore. 
XJ always sounds like oo in hoot. 
Y when a vowel sounds like ee in meet. 

NO LETTEK IS EYEE SILENT EXCEPT H. 

B has the same sound as in English. 

C sounds like Ic except before e and i when it sounds like s in see. 

Ch is a separate letter and sounds like cli in church. 

D has the same sound as in English. 

F same sound as in English. 

G before e and i sounds like forcibly aspirated h in high, 
here, but in all other places it has the hard sound in English. 

H is always silent. 

J always has the forcibly aspirated sound of h as in house. 

Jj same sound as in English. 

\A is a separate letter, and in Spain is sounded like Hi in 
millionj but in Mexico it is sounded like y in yes. 

M same sound as in English. 

N same sound as in English. 

N sound like ny in canyon. 

P same sound as in English. 

Q same sound as in English, and is always followed by u, 
which is not sounded before e unless marked u, the same occurs 
when u follows g before e. 

R has a soft sound, except when at the beginning of a word. 

Kr is a separate letter and has a rolled trilling sound, as r in 
forgot is pronounced by the Scotch peasants, but a little more 
trilled, and foreigners rarely pronounce it correctly. 

S always sounds soft as in see. 

T, V, X and Y have the same sound as in English. 

Z in Spain is sounded like th in thin but in Mexico like s in see. 

EXAMPLES. 

Luciano (loo — see — ah — JcnowJ- 

Mascorro fmahs — Jcoe — rrhoj 

Motecuhzoma fmo — tay — hoo — so — 7nah) 

Angelita (ahn — hay — lee — tah.) 

Eevillar-Gigedo [Bay — vce — yah — He — hay — doe. ) 

The accent is on the last syllable when ending in a consonant 
and on the penult when ending in a vowel. In all other cases the 
accent is marked. xi 



A FEW WORDS ABOUT MEXICO. 



Mexico is a country embracing a territory about equal to that 
portion of the United States lying east of the Mississippi Eiver. 

It is however broken by the chain of the Rocky Mountains 
which diversify it with fertile valleys, broad table lands, and 
bold rugged and barren mountain sides, with a few points capped 
with eternal snow. 

It is a Federal Eepublic, similar in plan to that of the United 
States, and is divided into 28 States, one territory and the Federal 
District. On the accompanying Map the States of Tlaxcalla and 
Aguascalientes are printed in small letters, as they are small 
states like Rhode Island and Connecticut. Tepic has been decla- 
red a state in the present year 1884. 

The population of 10.000.000 souls is chiefly concentrated in 
the central jDortion of the Republic, whilst the great states of the 
North West, are largely desert and except a few trading centres 
but sparsely populated. 

Of this population 5.000.000 are descendants of the native races, 
and about 1.500.000 still speak the native languages, of which 
more then ten are still in use. 

The Mexican or Aztec language is now taught in some of the 
Colleges of Puebla, Mexico and Guadalajara, and recent improved 
text books, whilst making the language accessible to interested 
I)ersons, are contributing to educate these masses and thus Span- 
ish will soon supi)lant the native tongues. 

The remaining half of the population are chiefly of the mixed 
race so that less than one fifth of the inhabitants can be set down 
as of the Caucasian race. 

Education is compulsory in the cities but the grade of study is 
generally very low and the teaching very superficial. 

Its political wars have mainly been upon the question, Church 
and State v. s. Religious Liberty. The latter is the banner of the 
Liberal party, who gained the power in 1857, being led by a pure 
descendant of the Aztec race, Benito Juarez. The ^'Conservative" 
or Church Party aided by Napoleon III, partially regained power 
under the transient empire of Maximilian, but feU completely in 
1867. 

The confiscation of Convents and the suppression of religious 
orders, as well as the banishment of the Jesuits, and in 1874 of 
the Sisters of Charity, show that the masses can never be recon- 
ciled to Romanism, and unless the Gospel is preached must fall 
into an infidelity as terrible as that of the French Revolution of 
1793. 

The Evangelical School Books issued by Friends' Mexican Mis- 
sion aside from being adopted in many public schools, are sold 
in most cities, and have been largely useful in counteracting un- 
belief and superstition, and teaching the plan of Salvation 
through Christ as the one Mediator. 

XII 



ifiau mm n lAscdRRO 



AND 



^lum or T«t Mm wtKicAP mm. 



r^fPlfAes-,^^ 



CHAPTER I. 

comparatiye position and influence of woman in 
England, the United States and Mexico, illus- 
trated BY FAMILIAR EXAMPLES. 




i ANY beautiful narratiyes of Christian lives made 
sublime by acts of self-denial and obedience to 
the law of the Lord, have already been pub- 
lished, and not a few of the most interesting of 
these belonged to the small body of Christians known 
as the Friends. This is peculiarly true of Christian 
women, because this church opened a wide door for 
the ministry of females, and in this respect as a 
church long stood alone. 

We do not intend to censure other churches for 
their views, from which we must candidly differ, but 
devoutly thank them for the able sisters whom they 
have given to our ranks, rather than let them work 
publicly in their own. 

We believe that many hearts have throbbed with 
interest as they have read the touching autobiogaphy 
of Jane Hoskens, who, closely following her Spiritual 

B 



2 Wonians^ Sphere in llexico. 

Gruide, crossed tlie ocean as an indentui^ed servant 
girl, soon after found herself imprisoned for debt, but 
finally became a valiant evangelist, travelling exten- 
sively on both sides of the Atlantic, and in the 
Barbadoes, as minister of a church which she was in 
childhood taught to ridicule. 

In the list of our martyrs are Catharine Evans and 
Sarah Cheveer from whose lips the voice of Christian 
hymns echoed within the walls of the Inquisition of 
Malta, and who desired that the same ^'G-ood News," 
in the sweet language of song might be sent to the 
ends of the earth, that all nations might ''Praise the 
Lord." 

In the fields of Christian philanthropy the name of 
Ehzabeth Fry has long been held forth as a model of 
devotion and self sacrifice, not only within the Friends' 
Society alone, but in the Christian world at large. 

To attempt to present the biography of one who 
filled a very different sphere of Christian usefulness 
and Grospel service, might seem a difficult task, 
were it not that intimate acquaintance and close 
spiritual f ellowsliip has made it a comparatively easy 
effort to the wiiter. 

I may observe however that the sphere of woman's 
influence and labor in the land of the Montezumas 
has ever been very different from that of her sisters 
in England and America, but few have left any re- 
cord, and most of these few records are the poetic 
effusions of gentle minds, full of tenderness and 
pathos, the distinguishing traits of the Spanish 
female. 

Perhaps my readers will pardon a still further 
digression, and allow me to cite one of those memo- 
rable examples that stand out in bold relief in the 
annals of Mexican history, and it will show the 
obstacles which woman had to struggle against 
during the three centuiies of Spanish rule in New 
Spain, as Mexico was then called. 



Juana In6s de la Cruz. 3 

In the midst of the Spanish colonial domination 
dining the seventeenth century, in the midst of bhnd 
superstition and bigotry, in a society ruled by these 
preoccupying influences a bright star shone forth, 
known in the cloister and in hterary chicles as Sister 
Juana Ines de la Cruz. Her true name was Juana 
Ines de Asbaje y Cantillana, i. e. her father's sur- 
name was Asbaje and her mother's maiden name was 
Cantillana, she was bom in the village of San Miguel 
Nepantla, among the corrugated folds of the volcano 
of Popocatapetl. 

When only three 3^ears of age she folio we d an older 
sister to a kind of school known as ''The Friends," 
(which was not a Quaker institution by any means,) 
and there she soon learned to read. Then she heard 
of a University in Mexico where the sciences were 
taught, i. e. to young men, and she continually pleaded 
with her mother to change her clotMng, dress her as 
a boy and send her to the University. Her mother 
had no inchnation to favor female suffrage, and 
denied the repeated petitions of her daughter. 

Notwithstanding this refusal, httle Juana took to 
learning lil^e a duck to the water, and as they said 
that some kinds of food were unfavorable to progi^ess 
in study, she refrained her appetite and refused to 
partake of them. This was especially the case vdth 
cheese, of which she was naturally fond, and to what 
extent it may tend to rudeness and hinder education 
we leave our readers to judge from experience. 

Her biographer supposes that the sight of that 
colossal mountain, and the awe inspiring scenery 
which suiTOunded her, Jiad an influence in preparing 
her mind for that poetic susceptibility which has 
immortalized her name. 

Such was her progress, and such the fame which 
was noised abroad, that when only seven years of 
age she was presented in the court of the Viceroy 




Q.'^ 



CI 



'gs. 



The Mexican Poetess. -5 

^and examined by the wise men of the country to find 
whether her learning was innate or acquired. 

She was slender, and her dark eyes and silken 
tresses gave her such a beautiful appearance that 
the natives of those warm regions compared her, as 
they do the Virgin Mary, to a feathery palm, waving 
-in the gentle breeze of summer. 

The Marquis of Mancera was at that time Viceroy 
vof New Spain, and in speaking of this wonderful ex- 
.amination he says: '^As a royal war ship would defend 
itself from a few canoes which attacked it, thus did 
Juana Ines i^solve the questions, arguments and 
replies that one by one were propounded to her by 
"that illustrious company,'^' 

It seemed impossible for her to go forward with 
lier studies without embracing the monastic lif e^ and 
the counsels of Antonio Nunez, a famous Jesuit 
priest induced her to adopt that course. 

It was no snmll .sacrifi<ie for her to excha;nge the 
jsplendid society of the vie.eroyal court for the sohtude 
of the mona,stery. Whilst fulfilhng the routine of 
nunnery restrictions, and exercising charity toward 
the poor ^nd the sick, she devoted ^a considerable 
portion of her time to thestudyof such books as were 
^ccessible^ and thus passed the ^earlier years of her 
religious imprisomnenL 

But the preoccupations of that dark period, the 
^susceptibility of the theologians and confessors, at 
last reached in h'er asylum the girl, that in the narrow 
bounds of a Mexiean cloister, was eclipsing the 
brightest literary stars that arrived from Spain. 

You must not, dear reader, suppose that Mexico 
was devoid of hterary minds in that epoch, A printing 
press had been busily at work for a century in the 
capital, and among other valuabfe works the great 
■^ ' V"ocabulary of the Spanish and Mexican languages," 
had already been issued, long ere any press had reached 
the Enghsli pro^dnces. 



6 Fe^nale Education Advocated. 

There was however in Mexico, as in Spain at that 
time, a saying that when any one was becoming 
learned; ^'he was in danger of becoming a Lutheran," 
that is, a Protestant. Such were the fears that were 
entertained about Juana Ines de la Cruz, and the 
books were taken away from her, and but hmited 
opportunity was given to her to employ her pen, 
which however she did to some extent in controversial 
letters to celebrated divines. But in the midst of this 
privation Juana was taken seriously ill, and the 
physicians, who seem to have had some insight into 
her difficulties, prescribed reading and study as essen- 
tial to her existence. A celebrated sermon of Father 
Vieyra had been published, and caused great notoriety, 
when Juana wrote a refutation of it, which was 
answered by another document from the Bishop of 
Puebla, who considered ''the erudition of Juana as 
very improper for her sex." Her answer to the Bishop 
is one of the most noteworthy docmnents which that 
century can furnish us, written though it was by the 
Creole girl of San Miguel Nepantla, She defends 
female education with rare energy for a woman of 
that period, and boldly says: "How without logic 
should I understand the general and special rules of 
composition? How without rhetoric should I under- 
stand the rules, discourses and figures of speecM How 
without natural history should I luiderstand the 
natui'o of animals and the symbols of the ancient 
sacrifices? How without arithmetic should I be able 
to compute the years, days, months and hours of the 
mysterious hebdomads of Daniel, and others which 
require a knowledge of the nature, concordance and 
properties of numbers? How without a knowledge of 
the rules and parts which constitute History, should 
I understand the descriptions of sieges in the Histor- 
ical Books? And how without a legal knowledge shall 
I be able to understand the Books of the Law of 
Mosesf After this noble resume of the needs of 



Eihication in New Spain. 7 

female education, she like every protesting writer, 
quotes largely from the Grospels and Early Fathers 
of the Churcla in defense of woman's position in the 
world and in the church. 

The books were again denied her by the Superiora 
or Preceptress of the nunnery, and then she studied 
the nature or character of her companions, watched 
the plays of the chikben and made geometrical inves- 
tigations on the lines described by a top which the 
childi^en kept whirhng on the parallel lines of the 
roof of her cell; observing in the silence of the night, 
and the deeper silence of the monastery, the march 
of the stars, the changes of morning and evening twi- 
light, and studying the laws of perspective in the 
movement of visible objects. 

The portrait which adorns this narrative was 
copied from one painted by her own hand, the origi- 
nal being a most admirable painting. 

In the midst of her trials from the privation of 
books, a terrible epidemic made its appearance in the 
Convent of San G-eronimo, only one in ten of those 
attacked surviving its devastating influence, and 
after taking assiduous care of her sister nuns, she 
was taken with the disease and died on the 17th of 
April 1695. She has been stjded for her talent the 
''Tenth Muse," and the "American Phoenix," and not 
only in Mexico but in South America her poems have 
excited universal admiration. 

It might be proper here to remark that during the 
colonial administration the mail facilities between 
the various Spanish provinces of Central and South 
Am^erica were nearly equal to those of our own coun- 
try a century later, and a unity of language and 
identity of interest bound the provinces of that time 
as strongly together as the independent republics are 
now united and the interchange of thought aided, by 
the facilities of the Postal Union. 



8 Jose/a Ortiz de Dojiiingiiez. 

Education was not then general, nor is it now, but 
there were then many noble minds aspiring to eman- 
cipate themselves from the thrall of intolerance and 
superstition, and since the independence of these 
governments became fully estabhshed these minds 
have multiplied, the press has everywhere become a 
moving power and the interchange of thought has 
been continually binding Latin Americans, as they 
prefer to be called, more and more closely in the 
bonds of intelligent brotherhood, and these minds 
thus brought into unison are leavening the masses. 
The new mold will vary according' to the elevating 
influences brought to bear upon it. 

Ere leaAT.ng the subject of woman's position in 
Mexico I must not forget that in a mdely different 
and less womanly field, in the sphere of political 
movements and mihtary achievements, aside from 
Doiia Marina the guide and spy of Cortez, two names 
are indehl)ly wiitten on the pages of Mexican history. 
When a few enthusiastic minds began thinking about 
the independence of Mexico, they gathered in the 
parlor of the Corregidor of the city of Queretaro to 
discuss so momentous a question. This gToup consis- 
ted of Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo, priest of Dolores, 
Colonels Aldama and Allende, and the Corregidor 
and his strong-minded mfe. The men seemed fearful 
of so daring a movement. Allende with tropical ardor 
urged a trial of the plan, Hidalgo assured them that 
the initiators of such a movement rarely lived to see 
their ideas achieved, and tliis reasoning had well 
nigh discouraged the group when Josefa Ortiz de 
Dominguez analyzed their plans and assui-ed them of 
theu^ ultimate triumph. The plot was discovered and 
among the first to suffer imprisonment were the 
Corregidor and his wife, who suffered long years of 
imprisonment ere the uprising of Itiu'bide in Iguala 
achieved the independence of Mexico and the Corre- 
gidora was hailed as a heroine of the independence. 



Maria Antonia de la Serna. 



9 



Another name to be mentioned in this connection 
is that of Maria Antonia cle la Serna, wife of Felipe 
de la Grarza, known for her daring enterprises as la 
GeneralcL She was left a widow early in life, with a 
nephew, adopted as a son, and with an ample fortune 
at her disposal. She settled at Soto la Marina, then 
a very small settlement, and was united in marriage 
to the commanding officer of that port; which was 
incorporated as a village at her suggestion, and the 
beautiful catholic church with its sweet-toned bells 
was a gift of her munificence to the village. She once 
fitted out a steamer to bring mihtary supplies to her 
adopted son, Jesus de la Serna, in his struggle to be- 
come governor of Tamaulipas; and was doubtless the 
counsellor of her husband in the arrest of Iturbide,an 
act his fidelity to his government required at his 
hand, although in all the movement he showed the 
highest personal appreciation of his imperial prisoner 
and did all in his power to avert from him the terrible 
fate to which a decree of Congress had condemned 
the ex-emperor. 

Leaving then the sphere of poetic genius and mili- 
tary prowess we will look at an humbler but worthier 
figure in Mexican social life. 




ANCIENT AZTEC WARRIORS IN FULL DRESS, 




A H03IE IN ''TIEBBA CALIENTE.'' 




CHAPTER !!• 

BiKTHPLACE OF ANGELA AgUILAE, WITH A GENERAL 
SKETCH OF THE COAST REGION OF TaMAULIPAS, AND 
^HE ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF ITS INHABITANTS. 



jERHAPS few things could be more widely differ- 
ent tlian the scenery and personage of the prece- 
i^-j ding chapter and those we now introduce to the 
attention of the reader. He must therefore be 
prepared to come dovai in imagination from the lofty 
heights of Popocatepetl to the fiat sandy shores of 
Tamaulipas, from the pure air and undulating scenery 
of the Tierra Teynplada to the dense forest shades and 
malarial atmosphere which gird the banks of Rio de 
la Marina, in Tierra Caliente; from the wondi'ous 
poetical genius of a pure descendant of Castile, to 
the unassuming manners of a dark-eyed daughter 
of the mixed race, who but for the strange dispensa- 
tions of Providence w^ould have lived and died a 
peasant girl or at most the wife of some poor farmer 
or stock raiser in the wilds of Tamaulipas. I must 
h0wever take into consideration that the reader has 
not hke the writer, passed a decade in this Mexican 
State, whose scenes however rough and homely have 
become as familiar to him as the |)astures of the old 
homestead. ii 



12 Settlement of TamatiUj^as. 

Please place a map before yon and you will find 
near the Grnlf of Mexico, and about midway between 
Matamoros and Tampico, the village of Soto la 
Marina. You may at first suppose that it is situated 
at the mouth of a river bearing very nearly the same 
name. Soto la Marina (The Marine Forest J is situa- 
ted about thirty miles from the mouth of the river, 
whose banks are lined with magnificent forests of 
giant tropical trees. The forests still abound in jagu- 
ars and other tropical animals and countless flocks 
of parrots, whilst the water is prolific in alhgators and 
the manatee, or aquatic cow. The hunt of this latter 
animal is very interesting and its capture a day of 
re j oicing for the whole community, who with notable 
neighborly kindness give freely what they have freely 
received. 

This port was entered at a very early date by the 
Spanish coasting vessels, and as they rarely dr^w 
more than three or four feet of watsr they found no 
diffi-culty in crossing the bar and ascending the river 
as far as the present site of the village, which was 
founded about the year 1750 under the direction of 
Colonel Jose de Escandon, the colonizer and pacifier 
of Tamaulipas. 

He marched through the country with trains of 
emigrants, lea^dng a definite number in each ehgible 
site for a village, supplying their necessities, lea\dng 
them under the political care of a captain, and each 
of these settlements Avas furnished with a Catholic 
priest, who aside from the spmtual care of the 
emigrants was expected to form a mission a httle way 
from the village and if possible domesticate the Indians. 

The native races to the southward of Rio de la 
Marina seem to have been powerful at the time of 
the concjuest, as Cortez was defeated at the pass of 
Chile near the present site of Tanij^ico of Tamaulipas 
by 60, 000 warriors organized in this section as early 
as 1521. A little later however the conquest was 



Early Mexican Abolifionisfs. 13 

effected and the only record of the ancient greatness 
of the natives consists of the ruins of ten cities^ 
buried by the rank vegetation, and lying on both sides 
of the Tamesi river, and whose capital was probably 
the city whose ruins are in Sierra de la Palma, a low 
chain of mountains about twenty seven miles west of 
Altamira, a village on the shores of Lake Champayan. 

Whatever may have been the violence exercised by 
the conquerors, and the bloody scenes which marked 
the conquest, we may be permitted to state that some 
of the viceroys were friendly to the native races, and 
did all in their power to settle them peacefully in 
villages and encourage them in the arts of civilization. 

The idea of enslaving the native race was brought 
by the conquerors from Cuba, and perhaps no man 
at that time was more conscientious upon that sub- 
ject than Cortez, whose will plainly shows his mis- 
givings upon that point. Bartholomew las Casas, 
bishop of Chiapas, wrote energetically upon this 
subject as early as 1540, and he by no means stood 
alone. 

''With respect to the slaves, natiyes of New Spain, alike those- 
taken in war and those held for redemption, as there are many 
doubts and opinions as to whether these can he conscientiously so held 
and Up to the present it has not been determined; I command my son 
and successor Martin, and those who follow him in my estate, that they 
use all diligence to inrestigate the matter, and do whatever may be 
most convenient for the full discharge of my conscience and their own." 

Will or Cortez. Aeticle 39. 

"I also command that as aside from the tributes which I have 
received from my vassals aforesaid, I have received from them other 
personal and real services, and as there are diverse opinions as to 
whether these services can be conscientiously received, I order that due 
diligence be used to ascertain what services I may have received more 
than pertained to me, and that pay and restitution be made wherever 
it appears justly due." — Idem. Article 41. 

Luis de Velasco II. nearly a century before Penn 
made his treaty with the Indians under the elm at 



■^^^^^^^mm^^^':^-- 












1 






^f^^ 









a 



:ii o 



:n> 






o ^ <» 






Treaties of Velasco and Escandon. 15 

Sliackamaxon liad made a treaty recompensing the 
undomesticated tribes of Central Mexico for the 
occupation of their territory by colonies of Tlaxca- 
lans, who planted in their midst the elements of 
civilization, and although he was not able to entirely 
obliterate the servitude of the natives, their tasks 
were fixed by law as was also the salary they were to 
receive, and it was forbidden to employ them in the 
mines, or in any other notably severe and perilous 
occupation. The provinces of Zacatecas and San Luis 
Potosi were settled peacefully by this wise policy, 
which almost a century later the viceroy, Count 
Revilla-Gigedo endeavored to carry out in settling the 
province of Santander, now known as the Mexican 
State of Tamaulipas. 

Perhaps he cou.ld not have found a person better 
fitted for this task than Jose de Escandon. Every- 
where he manifested uniform kindness to the natives 
and these in return became his allies. Not far from 
the present site of Soto la Marina a large force of 
Indians approached his camp, and stationing a rear- 
guard advanced to meet him, carrying a large supply 
of beans, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, which they 
presented him, receiving in return shawls and blan- 
kets. Their chief then asked for a gourd of water, and 
washed the hands of Escandon and such of his com- 
panions as he supposed to be chiefs, and then taking 
from his own body the sayal or native blanket, he 
wiped their hands, giving them to understand that 
this ceremony was emblematic of peace, friendship 
and alliance. 

This friendship was interrupted a few days later 
because some natives, perhaps not knowing the value 
of horses, Idlled some of them with their arrows, one 
of them being killed in the pursuit which followed. 
This was however the only conflict which Escandon 
had with the natives whilst planting the villages of 
the whole central portion of Tamaulipas. His colonists 



16 Settleiuent of Soto la llarina. 

liad received one Imndred dollars in silver for each, 
family, siipjolies for the journey, and seeds for plant- 
ing, as well as tools for farm work, and peacefully 
began to build their cabins in the forest. 

The village of Soto la Marina was founded by 66 
f amihes, having a total force of 11 soldiers for their 
defence, making in all 289 settlers. This gives us an 
opportunity to see how far they considered them- 
selves exempt from peril under the wise plans devised 
for them by the viceroy, Count Revilla-Grigedo, and 
carried out by Escandon, Lieutenant Captain General 
of the province. 

The natives were of peaceful disposition and Es- 
candon, judging from the general tenor of Mexican 
colonies, supposed that they would gradually gather 
to the settlements and become his dutiful subjects. 
In this he was not disappointed, but one of his fond 
hopes met with a reverse. He had expected to find the 
water on the bar at the mouth of Rio de la Marina of 
sufficient depth for ocean trade. His schooner ^'Con- 
qiiistadora''' had entered the harbor, but a minute 
examination made by his chief engineer Tienda de 
Cuervo demonstrated, on the one hand the shallow- 
ness of water, and on the other, the absence of any 
prominent landmarks by which vessels could recognize 
the entrance. 

It is true that nearly a century earlier the caravels 
which crossed the ocean could have entered the river, 
as they only drew from three to five feet of water, 
but now onty coasting vessels could be expected to 
engage in commerce with the newly established port. 
It is also probable that Tienda de Cuervo was influ- 
enced by the merchants of Vera Cruz to hinder its 
being opened to foreign trade. 

The rapid increase in the tonnage of vessels coming 
from Cuba and Spain soon made it impracticable to 
use Soto la Marina as a port for foreign commerce, 
and thus it lost a great part of its importance. 



Histornj of Soto la Marina. 17 

It has however twice been the scene of great 
pohtical movements of historic interest. 

On the 15th of April 1817 an expedition of ad- 
venturers from England and the United States, with 
some fugitives from Mexico who favored the ])arty 
which was struggling for independence, landed at 
Soto la Marina under the command of Francisco 
Javier Mina, who had headed the revolution of Na- 
varre, to aid the insurgents . 

The cause they came to defend had however been 
almost completely crushed before they arrived, and 
after repeated defeats Mina, like most other unfor- 
tunate revolutionists in Spanish America was taken 
prisoner and sentenced to be shot. 

After the independence was achieved under the 
direction of Agustin de Iturbide, and the restless 
band who had hoped for a Republic instead of an 
Empire had obliged him to abdicate, following the 
track of Mina, he landed at Soto la Marina on the 
14th of July 1824, and was immediately informed 
that a decree of Congress condemned him to death 
so soon as he landed in the country. Yet such was 
the confidence which the military commander of the 
town, Felipe de la Grarza, had in Itiu^bide, that he 
placed the troops which were to conduct him to Pa- 
dilla, capital of the state, under his command, ho- 
ping that the state legislature, or congress as it is 
called would in some way try to -reprieve him, as he 
had brought no forces with him. His sentence was 
however confirmed and five days after lan(iing at 
Soto la Marina, he was shot publicly in the plaza of 
Padilla, and his remains Avere buried under the ruins 
of the village chapel, from whence like those of Na- 
poleon I. they were marched under triumphal arches 
to the city of Mexico and honorably placed among 
those of the heroes of independence. 

Such is the mutability of human greatness and so 
slight the diiference which history places between 



18 



Soto la Marina. 



a patriot and a traitor, that Mexican historians have 
scarcely been able to to find to which class Itnrbide 
belongs. 

Aside from these two disturbances the village of 
Soto la Marina seems to have kept the even tenor 
of its way, with no very great abundance of trade 
and with but little importance in its agriculture, per- 
haps the trade in fish caught and salted at Pescade- 
ria at the mouth of the river was the special thing 
which drew traders from the interior to this port. 




ITZA PICTUEE WRITINGS. 
SYMBOLIC AND IDEOGRAPHIC. 




MOTECUHZOMA II. AND THE COMET OF CHAS. V. 

FHOM THE AZTEC PICTURE AVRITINGS, DURAN'S CODEX, 

CHAPTER III. 

Birth and early life of Angela Aguilar y Zuniga, 

WITH AN insight INTO THE DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE 

Mexicans, 

^ S we said in the preceding chapter, when these 
M villages were founded, a mission was established 
&■ near each of them, and in many cases on the 
opposite bank of the stream upon which both 
must rely for a supply of water. Grradually the na- 
tives began to serve the settlers, either in the culti- 
vation of the small patches of corn and sugar-cane 
or in the manual duties of the household, they be- 
came the hewers of wood and drawers of water, re- 
ceiving in return a nominal salary, which was 
usually paid in eatables and in the very scanty^ cloth- 
ing which the laborers required. The laboring 
men used only trowsers and a broad brimmed hat of 
palm leaf when at work, yet they usually tried to 
have a better holiday suit. In some villages the set- 
tlers became very wealthy and there was a notable 
difference between the hacendado or proprietor and 
the peon or laborer. This latter class found them- 
selves bound to a perpetual servitude, as the wages 



20 The Laboring Class in 3Iexico. 

of a day laborer were only 25 cents and often less, 
and when extra expense was incurred, as for exam- 
ple when money was borrowed to pay the priest's 
fee for marriage, or the doctor's fee for services, 
they were hardly ever able, even during years of toil 
to emancipate themselves from the service of their 
employer. Their salary was paid by credit on the 
books and often a father died leaving a debt of $100 
to $200 for his children to cancel by servitude. 

There was however quite a numerous class of the 
poorer descendants of the settlers, and intermarriages 
between these and the natives became frequent until 
the process of amalgamation became quite general. 

Indeed the settlers who came from the interior had 
already an admixture of Aztec and Tlascalan blood 
in their veins, for many of those famihes stood high 
in social life. When these mixed people testified in 
the courts the judge was obliged to record whether 
they were whites or Indians, and in doubtful cases 
would say, ''Se tiene par blanco,^^ i. e. ''He considers 
himself a white man." 

At Soto la Marina both settlers and natives had 
to struggle with hard times and thus, except a few 
very wealthy families, the distinctions of caste began 
to fade away. 

The change of laws in 1857 under the Liberal 
Government made provisions to emancipate the 
laboring class from perpetual servitude, only allow- 
ing one month of advance wages to be paid to a 
servant except at the risk of his employer. This law 
in many places is a dead letter, carefully concealed 
from the working class, and practically ignored by 
crafty judges. 

As in most other Mexican villages along the coast, 
there are three distinct kinds of houses in general 
use in Soto la Marina, the wealthier class having 
stone houses with flat roofs made of heavy planking 
covered with tejas^ formerly written texas, a kind of 



Mexican Houses. 21 

flat tile brick about seven inches square and one 
inch thick, three courses of which are laid on an 
inclined floor like roof, in a strong cement, which 
when dry becomes impervious to water. These flat 
roofs, as we may call them, are surrounded on three 
sides by a strong wall, making as they complete the . 
buildings on all sides of a block a regular fortress, the 
yards being in the open court back of the houses, 
forming a general rendezvous in most cases for all 
the inhabitants of the block. Some of these inner 
yards have beautiful flowers, orange trees and other 
choice plants, which are hid entirely from the passer 
by, as the houses are built on a line with the side- 
walk, with doors opening to the street. The second 
class of houses have the walls made of adobes, or sun 
dried bricks, which are much larger than our bricks, 
and the roofs are made of poles lashed together with 
thongs, or the strong fibre of the maguey or century 
plant, and thatched with palm leaves, or swamp 
grass. The dry flower-stalks of the century plant are 
used for rafters wherever the plant abounds, especial- 
ly at the neighoring village of Jimenez. 

The third class have the same kind of roof, but 
the walls instead of being of adobes are made of cross 
poles tied to upright forks, when small bundles of 
reeds are tied in an upright position to the cross- 
poling, and the whole is plastered outside and inside 
with strong adobe mortar. This mortar is prepared 
by making a firm mud from a strong clayey earth, 
and mixing in dried grass chopped about two inches 
in length, supplying the place of hair in our plaster- 
ing. The stone buildings have a floor of hard cement, 
the adobe houses sometimes have them of brick but 
most of these, like the third class, known as guano 
houses have only the earth for a floor. 

In one of the houses of the first class lived a fam- 
ily by the name of Ziiniga, who were owners of the 
house and lot, but had little else of earthly goods. 



22 Early Life of Angelita. 

In this humble home the mother died when giving 
birth to a daughter, which was at once placed in 
charge of her god-mother, Maria Antonia de la Serna^ 
by whom, with other orphan children she was reared^ 
yet she retained her proper name Francisca Zuiiiga. 

As her foster daughters grew up she had no small 
trouble to prevent their receiving visits from the 
young men of the village, and thus it was with 
great secrecy and slyness that they were able to 
send letters and receive rephes from theu^ sweet 
hearts. Several times the mother siu'prised her daugh- 
ter Francisca at the little gate of their yard, opening 
to the street, talking with a young man whose large 
black eyes had an almost fascinating power over 
those with whom he associated. Very naturally mam- 
ma did not like to see them talking thus slyly and 
gave her daughter a sound thrashing, and tried to- 
let the young pretender understand that his absence* 
was more welcome than his presence. 

The young man was a day laborer, with no earthly 
goods, and more than that, he was a widower with a 
httle daughter to care for. The mother was inflexi- 
ble, the daughter equally so, and the young man was 
determined to gain if possible and it seemed as though- 
the judge would have to be called on to set aside the 
maternal authority, as under certain circumstances 
they are empowered to do, but finally the opposition 
gave way and the marriage was effected. For a little- 
while young Aguilar and his wife lived in one room 
of the stone building which had been her home, but 
a guano house with a palm leaf roof was soon ready 
and thither the young couple removed. In this hum- 
ble structure their first daughter was born August 
2d 1858, and when she was but a few weeks old her 
pious parents took her to the parish church where 
she was baptized as Angela and as she had a right to 
both paternal and maternal surnames, her true name 
was Angela Aguilar y Zuniga. But as we are to* 



Early Life of Angelita. 23 

know that she was a pet, her pet name takds the 
diminntiye ita and we shall for some years call her 
Angelita. 

Although she was the pet, the poverty of her 
father scarcely ever allowed them any spare change 
lor buying oranges or candy, and the neighbor who 
chanced to give her either was looked upoii as a 
real benefactor, both by her and by her doting pa- 
rents. 

Judging from analogy we may suppose that after 
being emancipated from the swaddling clothes of in- 
fancy, except a holiday attire, which was usually kept 
carefully laid away, she was not much encumbered 
with clothing during the week, yet on the Sabbath 
morning she was clothed ready to go to the church, 
dip her tiny hand in the font of holy water and make 
the sign of the cross on her forehead. 

She was also taught two prayers to the Virgin Ma- 
ry and the Lord's Prayer, which she was taught to 
repeat thus, the Lord's Prayer once and the prayers to 
the Virgin each five times, and when she went to the 
parish church the whole service was a repetition of 
the same prayers, in the same relative proportion, the 
priest leading, and the worshippers, who were all 
kneehng on the floor, following in a low voice the 
<iontinual recital of the same prayers. A few pictures 
of the Saints were purchased, and sprinkled with 
holy water by the priest for the small sum of twenty 
five cents each, and one corner of their humble cabin 
was arranged so as to form a kind of altar before 
which they could kneel to count beads and say pray- 
ers. Some small printed prayers or amulets were 
also purchased from the priest, as preventatives of 
certain diseases as well as remedies for many of the 
evils flesh is heir to. This was all the more necessary 
as there was no regular drug store in the village and 
patent medicines had not begun to compete with 
prayers a^d amulets in public favor. 



24 



Early Life of Angelita. 



Otlierwise we have few particulars about the 
early life of Angelita. We can however very readily 
imagine how she played, with the other little girls of 
the village, how they would go down to the river 

and bathe in the flowing 
stream, and then sit on 
the bank to admire the 
bright green parrots 
with their golden heads 
and bright red epaulets 
on their -wings, and 
listen to their tenific cla- 
mor. It may often have 
been her lot to watch the 
little patch of corn her 
father was cultivating 
and scare the parrots 
away as children do the 
crows in more northern 
latitudes. 

Her parents were all 
the time strugghng with 
poverty, and it was final- 
ly decided that as labor 
was so very scarce they 
must move out to some 
ranch where labor was 
better requited and the 
cost of living would be 
less. They accordingly 
carried out this plan. It 
was in some respects quite a disagreeable change to 
Angelita. She had to leave her old playmates and the 
gayer life of the ^dllage, for the more isolated life of 
the Mexican ranch. Quite a change now took place 
in her outward appearance, she wore a long dress, 
reaching to her ankles, and when sitting carefully 
threw it over her feet, and was soon taught to laugh 




MEXICAN EANCH LIFE. 

WOMAN CJLRRTING WATEE, 



Mexican Rarieli Life. 25 

about the short dresses and pantelets of the village 
gMs, who were so earnest about having shoes on 
their feet when walking on the street, or going to the 
chapel. There was an abundance of milk, and plenty 
of cheese, and as she had no educational opportuni- 
ties she was not taught to abstain from the latter. 

Here as in the village however the forty days of 
Lent must be carefully observed, and during this 
time they must eat plenty of greens, especially the 
tender shoots of the prickly pear, (cactus^) and limit 
their meat to fish only. 

These was an abundance of wild honey, known as 
the panaloT comb, found in nests on the limbs of the 
trees much like the nests of our wasps. She was 
taught sedulously to avoid the tarantulas, a very 
large and venomous spider, the scorpions and rattle- 
snakes, and very frequently suffered severely from the 
stings of the red ants, which are as painful as those 
of the scorpion. Our readers may not be aware that the 
ant is veiy nearly alhed to the bee, that some ants 
make honey, and that being very aromatic, some 
varieties of the ant are dried and pounded into a 
paste which is sold as a sweet meat in most parts of 
South America, though not knotvn in this part of 
Mexico. By simply tasting an ant you will become 
assured of their virtues as edible food, and we learn 
that the children of Americans living in South Ame- 
rica are excessively fond of ant paste. 

However we must not let our readers suppose that 
such was the food of Angelita. Her principal food, 
like that of the poorer class in Mexico consisted sim- 
ply of tortillas and frijoles^ or slap-jacks and beans* 
Corn for making tortillas is first boiled in hme- water, 
so that the hull can readily be removed, it is then 
ground on an inchned stone with a square hand piece, 
tapering toward either end, each of the four sides 
of which are of a different fineness. Whilst the pro- 
cess of grinding progresses water is occasionally 



26 Mexican Home Life. 

thrown on and the corn instead of being ground 
into meal is at once reduced to dough of the right 
consistency which is slapped out into thin cakes and 
hastily cooked on a thin piece of iron or pottery 
ware, usually set on some thin pieces of brick, so as 
to leave room for the coals underneath. 

The bean soup is usually served in a saucer, a folded 
piece of tortilla serving as a spoon, which so soon 
as it becomes moistened is swallowed and another 
spoon manufactured. Butter is not extensively made 
so that when any sauce is used on the tortillas it is 
made of red pepper pods fried in lard, the very best 
being made of red and cayenne pepper pods fried in 
lard and seasoned with onions and Dutch cheese, 
made froni sour milk. 

In the villages knives, forks and spoons are quite 
generally used by the well-to-do residents. Ranch peo- 
ple occasionally kill beef cattle; and deer, antelopes, 
rabbits, hares and other wild game are very abundant, 
the wild hog and the armadillo being considered as 
dehcacies. 




MEXICAN ORANGE GIRL, 



CHAPTER IV, 

Eakly eeligious training. Death of her FAfflEK. 
Eemoval to San Fernando, where the history' 
or Father Lozano the first Mexican reformer 

IS INTRODUCED AND HIS TEACHINGS REVIEWED. 

MHEIR residence in the hacienda was of several 
III years duration, but was terminated by a sad be- 
W( reavement; the death of her father. Her mother 
found herself obliged to take full charge of the 
two daughters, and three months after the death of 
her husband, gave birth to a son. She could not well 
find work on the farm, and the experience of hei^ 
friends induced her to try to get a place as house-ser- 
vant in a village. She accordingly removed to the vill- 
age of San Fernando, which stands on a bluff, on 
the bank of Rio de Conchas, ordinarily a small- 
iBtream, but in the wet season becoming very formi- 
dable. It was not difficult for Angelita, who wa^^ 
now quite a girl, to accommodate herself to village 
life, and as she could attend the services of the 
parish church, her former religious earnestness wag- 
renewed, and she became well known for her. devo- 
tional nature, the pet of the pious women of the 
village from whon she received many kindnesses. 

Her mother was house servant for a widower, who 
had a child to care for, and although he did not 
hinder their attending, the services, he did not parti- 



^8 Father Mamon Lozano. 

cipate in their religious zeal. He had been for seve- 
ral years in care of his uncle, who was for some time 
priest of the village, and under whose direction the 
parish church was built, as an inscribed tablet in- 
forms the passer by. A like tablet over the entrance 
to the cemetery tells us that its beautiful ornamented 
wall was also one of the improvements carried out 
during the curacy of Father Lozano. The promulga- 
tion of the Reform Laws of 1857 had awakened the 
naturally earnest mind of this priest and as he inher- 
ited a large library of theological books from a rela- 
tive who was a priest, he began studying the New 
Testament, following the Catholic version of Father 
Scio, in order to see whether a Liberal could be a 
Christian. The reader must understand that the Cath- 
olic Bishops were denouncing the Liberal Govern- 
ment as an ungodly institution, and fulminating 
their anathemas against its leaders. When the father 
of the aforementioned widower died in Victoria, cap- 
ital of the State, it being known that he was a Lib- 
eral the Bishop refused to allow the church bell to 
be rung for his burial, or even admit the corpse in- 
side the church edifice. Thus Father Lozano began 
studying to see whether his relatives who served the 
Liberal Government must be refused hke favors at 
his hand. He found to his surprise that the teach- 
ings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles as recorded 
in the New Testament were as different from those 
taught by the Romish Church as light is from dark- 
ness. As he continued reading it seemed as though 
he found prophecies of and warnings against those 
very doctrines and practices which were the distin- 
guishing features of his church, and those very pro- 
tests of the Liberal Party seemed to be the echoes of 
the early teachers of Christianity against spiritual 
wickedness in high places. There were special rea- 
sons why the question of the celibacy of the clergy 
should occupy his attention, because their irregular 



Errors of The Romish Chtircli. 29 

conduct and the abuse made of the confessional for 
the seduction of young girls, which had awakened 
energetic protests from the Liberals, were creating 
great sensation. He had read the new law opening 
the way for priests to legitimize their children, usual- 
ly known as their nepheivs and nieces, and as he was 
desirous of doing so himself, he made a special study 
of this matter. 

As he was reading I. Tim. 4: 3, he saw that '^For- 
bidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from 
meats," was a sure test whereby he might know the 
apostate church, from the true church. The illusions 
of a life-time vanished in a moment. His long fast- 
ings had been utterly unavailing. Grod was looking 
for a clean heart and not an empty stomach. As he 
read the qualifications of a Bishop, and found that 
'^to be husband of one wife" and to ''have his family 
in subjection," were desirable evidences of fitness 
for the station, whilst he had supposed celibacy an 
indispensable requisite, he was still more inclined 
to fear that he was a minister of the church of 
Antichrist. It seemed to him that a Liberal could be 
a New Testament Christian and that a reformation 
of the Church was necessary; for he had reason to 
believe that others like himself were seeking to know 
the true basis of Christianity, and would accept the 
testimony of the Holy Scriptui^es, so soon as they 
heard its teachings. The early steps of his alienation 
from Romanism had been noted by the other priests 
and had led to his removal to the curacy of Santa 
Barbara, a very unhealthy location and where his 
enemies hoped that disease might cut short his 
existence. However his health improved considerably 
by the change, whilst his wealth enabled him to fur- 
nish the poor people with rice and other grains for 
sowing their crops, charging a lighter rate of pre- 
mium when the crop was gathered than the weal- 
thy residents were accustomed to do. His philantropy 



30 Teachings of Father Lozano. 

soon gained the hearts of his parishioners and they 
were ready to hsten to his counsels and looked up 
to him with more than the usual reverence which 
they felt toward their '^ Father ^^^ as you may remem- 
ber that Roman Catholics call their priests, although 
it be expressly forbidden in the New Testament. 

He soon after made an apphcation to the State 
Congress in order to legitimize his children, and 
although proceeding according to the pro^dsion of the 
law, he was cast into prison by order of Grovernor 
Serna, where he was kept for several months. The 
next session of congress was held by new delegates 
and after a very animated discussion his petition was 
granted, and he obtained his liberty. 

He was well aware that this step would bring 
upon him the censui^es of the Bishop and perhaps 
excommunication, and he at once prepared for the 
struggle by spending some months in his largest ha- 
cienda, occupied closely withthe New Testament, and 
in preparing a brief resume of its teachings, which 
he pubhshed under the title of ''El Sacerdote Evange- 
lico," or "The Evangelical Priest." This book was 
publicly ratified by his congregation, so that the 
Bishop found that he had not to deal with a single 
heretic, but with a seceding congregation. When his 
envoys came to read the excommunication from the 
pulpit, they found the door closed, and the whole 
town so excited that they could only fulfil their mis- 
sion by pasting the excommunication on the doors 
of the church from whence it was soon torn 
down by the indignant residents. So great was the 
the excitement that the Mayor fearing that some 
danger might await the envoys, took them into 
custody and sent them to Tampico as disturbers of 
the pubhc peace. It is probable that blood would 
have been shed had not Father Lozano addressed the 
people explaining to them the peaceable nature of the 
Gospel, and that as the Kingdom of Chiist is not of 



Teachings of Father Lozano. 31 

this world, therefore his servants are not to advance 
it by carnal weapons. 

There are several points in which Father Lozano 
held views very similar to those of the Society of 
Friends, for aside from his peace principles he was 
opposed to oaths which had recently been forbidden 
in courts of law by the Liberal Grovernment. 

He says; ''We hold that the oath has been justly 
omitted in the formulas of the Mexican Govern- 
ment, and is discarded by the Mexican Chui'ch, in 
accordance with the Apostolic doctrines." 

The humility of his closing words, in bold contrast 
with the dogmatism of most Reformers, merits our 
attention. ''My doctrines, fallible because they are 
set forth by a man of limited capacity, admit as many 
reforms and observations as may be made upon them 
with the Grospels and Nature before you, for these 
are the only books which express the certain will of 
God, and the positive truth of all things, where man 
must seek them if he aspire to know them. Whilst 
these observations are being examined, I would again 
ask the indulgence of my readers, and incite the ven- 
erable Mexican clergy to cast aside all preoccupation 
and partiality and retracing their steps, cease to 
be the executioners of their fold, and embracing first 
the Heform, incline the people to do the same, as it 
is the only thing which can save the dignity and lib- 
erty of mankind, and can alone make them a truly 
Christian clergy, the only principles to which are 
promised the peace and civilization of the world, 
which God has entrusted to the probity, integrity, 
intelligence and fidelity of his ministers, when he 
commanded them to preach his evangelical doctrines 
of reconciliation, peace and universal love." 





o ^ 

hH O 

1— I 

^ ft 



O 

M 

J/2 



02 
P 

W o 



CHAPTER V. 

She is sent to the village school. Desceiption 
OF tillage schools in Mexico. Religious tkain- 
iNG. Hek confiemation and subsequent eaenest- 

NESS IN THE CONFESSIONAL. 

NOTWITHSTANDING the favorable circumstan- 
ces which had led B S to imbibe Prot- 
estant principles; he does not seem to have in 
any way tried to instil them into the minds of 
the widow and three httle ones now placed by so 
singular a providence under his roof. 

Francisca Ziiniga appears to have occupied herseW 
almost exclusively in the domestic cares of the house- 
hold of B . - . . S and had but little time to care 

for her own children, but had the pleasure of their 
company. AngeUta was now a robust girl of about a 
dozen summers, and spent the week days in the vil- 
lage free School. By the way Mexico has a system 
of Free Schools, and compulsory education is en- 
forced in most of the cities. The elementary branches 
and embroidery of various kinds are taught, also 
worsted figure work on perforated paper. A text book 
on ''Urbanity" or ''Gfood Manners" is considered in- 
dispensable and forms the basis of that courtesy and 
politeness so noticeable in Mexican society. 

The Lancasterian system is generally used, the 
teachers appointing a monitor for each class, who 
listens with a cautious ear to the loud study of his 
pupils, for all study quite loudly; and several long 
benches arranged around the sides of the room pre- 

33 D 



34 Jlexlcan Free Scliools. 

sent a decided analogy Trith several Sabbath. School 
classes in active recitation in a small chapel in onr 
ovrn country. A foreigner Avonld at once suppose that 
the noise vrould make study im230ssible. This is not 
the case however, for they become so accustomed to 
it that the monitor will readily note an en-or in pro- 
nunciation by any one of his class and at once re- 
cognizes the voice of the one who made the mistake 
and calls him to order, just as readily as a weaving 
gii4 in oin^ factories recognizes which one of her 
looms has a broken thread and stojDS it in order to 
repair it. 

Silent study has been introduced in some places, 
but by far tbe most general method is as above des- 
cribed. Our little Angehta made fail' progTess in the 
elementarv branches, but the brevitv of their resi- 
deuce in that village and want of educational facil- 
ities in the ranch, where she had spent her childhood 
prevented her acqiming more than the elementary 
branches. 

The widow of the owner of the ranch where they 
bad lived before coming to San Fernando appears to 
have moved to the village soon after they did and 
she became the madriyia or sx^iiitual mother of An- 

2:ehta, and beins: averv devoted Cathohc took her 



httle charge to Mass every Sabbath morning. The re- 
collections of the rehgious exercises she had been 
accustomed to see in Soto la Marina were now revived. 
Besides this San Fernando was a more aristocratic 
village, with a very strong xjre dominance of pin-e 
Spanish blood, and much more religious, if we may 
give this name to such superstitious Romanism as 
was there in vogue. Aside from the name of "Pres- 
bvter Eamon Lozano" on the fi^ont of the Cathohc 
Chiu-cb and over the o'atewav of the cemeterv, no- 
thinc^ of his doctrines seems to have remained in the 
place. Thus Angelita, became a zealous Catholic, 
was always to be seen at Mass, repeating the pre- 



Roman Catholic Prayers. 35 

scribed number of prayers to the Virgin Mary with 
one Lord's Prayer for every ten of these. 

Having been confirmed she must now begin to 
confess regularly to tlie village priest, and she care- 
fully watched every thought and action so as to give 
an accurate account of every sin in thought, word 
or deed. 

Besides the numerous fasts prescribed by the 
church she found it necessary to impose upon herself 
ext|*a ones in order to have money to give her confes- 
sor every time she received absolution for past sins, 
thus she began that peculiar course of abnegation 
which won for her a distinguished place in the Cath- 
olic circles of San Fernando and Matamoros. You 
must bear in mind that she had not as yet listened 
to a sermon or exposition of Grospel Truth. In Mex- 
ico so far as we have been able to ascertain there 
is no preaching in the Catholic Churches except 
where Protestant churches have heen organized; nor 
are there any seats, but the whole audience, almost 
exclusively women, kneel on the floor and repeat in 
concert with the priest "Salves'' and ''Ave Marias" 
to the Vir2:en and either one Lord's Prayer after each 
five or after each ten prayers to the Most Holy 
Mary. 

The favorite x)rayer in all Spanish American coun- 
tries is the ''Ave Maria" or "Hail Mary," and is as 
follows: — "Dios te Salve Maria Uena eres de gracia, 
el Senor es contigo, bendita tu entre las mugeres, y 
bendito el Fruto de tu vientre Jesus. Santa Maria, 
Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora 
y en la ahora de nuestra muerte, Amen Jesus." This 
may be literally translated thus: — Grod save thee 
Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed 
art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of 
thy Yfomb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of Grod, pray 
for us sinners, nov/ and in the hour of our death 
Amen Jesus." I have carefully retained the punc- 



36 Roman Catholicism in 3Iexico. 

tuation and capitals as used in their prayer books, 
though not adopting either as grammatical. 

The '^Ave Maria" or ^'angelical salulation" came to 
be used as an almost universal salutation when 
speaking to any one who is so busily occupied as not 
to notice you, or when trying to call at the door or 
gateway of a ranch to ask for lodgings or inquire the 
way. 

The introduction of Protestant Chrsitianity gave 
rise to an amusing incident. My reader will consider 
that ''Ave" means bird in Spanish and thjs gave 
place to a httle play on words. 

Two men were travelhng along when calling at a 
ranch the Romanist called out as usual at the top of 
his voice ''Ave Maria," when the other answered 
"Maria no fue galhna," "Mary was not a hen," i, e. 
Mary was not a bird. 

The Salve is a longer form of prayer to the Vu'gin 
and is next in popularity to the Ave Maria. 

Angehta soon had all these prayers so fixed in her 
mind that she could repeat them hour after hour as 
she knelt before some picture of the Virgin, and 
great was her confidence in Mary as "Advocate of 
sinners," the "True Mediator" and many similar 
terms which Romanists apply to her, often neglect- 
ing to bestow them upon Jesus Christ, not so much 
from any intentional effort to rob him, as in letting 
"Mary" so fill their minds that they do not see Jesus 
clearly in his glorious mediatorial work, and manifold 
attributes which pertain only to a Di^dne Being. The 
exchange of mediators has been so entire that all 
the great features of the life of Jesus have been 
engrafted on her biography, from her "immaculate 
conception" or being born without sin, to her glo- 
rious "assumption" or ascent to heaven, thus equal- 
hng her to the Divinity and then bestowing upon 
her the title of Mother of Grod and Queen of Heaven 



The Virgin of Guadalupe. 37 

by these means impressing the masses with a belief 
that she is equal with Grod. 

There are special reasons why the Mexican people 
have come to look upon the Virgin as their ' 'Advo- 
cate." The Aztecs found little difficulty in exchang- 
ing their great goddess Tonantzin for Mary of Naz- 
areth so soon as she appeared as a love]^ Indian 
maiden near the ancient altar of their goddess. 
However to avoid any show of unfairness I will give 
the Catholics a hearing. I copy from a Catholic 
paper, ''La Voz de la Patria," of December 18th, 
1881. "The 12th of December is the great feast of 
Mexico, when hope arises anew in the most tried 
souls. The beautiful day and sublime scenes of 
Tepeyecatl are brought to mind, the Queen of Heaven, 
talking lovingly of oui* nation's prosperity with a 
poor Indian, despised by the world, but whose fideli- 
ty and purity of soul commended h\m to Grod, be- 
cause in the sight of God not the rich and powerful, 
but humility and puiity attract the favor of Infinite 
Mercy, thus the Queen of Heaven, who could only 
see as Grod sees, passing by the rich and powerful 
deigned to speak to an humble Indian, making him 
rich promises for our good. She wished that a temple 
should be erected wherein to honor her, and in which 
she could show forth mercy to such as should invoke 
her blessing, and make known their petitions, and 
has left us painted on the blanket (ayate) of the 
happy Indian her precious image as Holy Mary of 
Guadalupe, in testimony of her partiality to us. 
Three hundred and fifty years have passed since 
these miracles took place, and the heavenly painting 
which the August Mother of the Redeemer, and 
beloved Mother of the Mexicans left with him as a 
memorial portrait, exists among us and is venerated 
in the magnificent temple which in fulfillment of 
their vow the piefcy of our fathers built to her 
memory, and copies of this beautiful picture are found 



38 Great is Guadahijje of the Mexicans. 

in almost all onr teraples and in onr homes. On this 
image are written, says a recent Yrriter, in divine 
characters the manifest destlnij of Mexico^ against 
which vainly ca^dl those who withont raising their 
eyes from the earth, consider themselves the supreme 
arbiters of the fate of countries, as though there 
were not over all their thoughts an infinitely wise 
and merciful providence on which our destiny 
depends. We doubt not, should she not lose it by 
her evil deeds, the manifest destiny of Mexico will 
be to receive without ceasing the distinguished 
benefits conferred by Divine Groodness and the 
special protection of the Mother of the Most High.'^ 
For over two hundred years the miraculous ap- 
pearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe was celebrated 
as a national feast day and her historians quoted it 
as a historical fact. That the people should have ad- 
hered so firmly to impostui'e and have believed that 
the painting now in the temple at G-uadalu]3e was 
painted by miracle, that they should have believed 
that the canvass on which it was painted was the 
mjate or blanket of Juan Diego, the poor Indian, 
would seem impossible, did we not reflect that fanat- 
icism is hUnd. I Vvdll now briefly sum up the 
opinions of those who deny the miracle. 

1 The ayates of the Aztecs were made of the 
fibres of the maguey or American aloe, like our coarse 
rolling, whilst the painting is on a smooth mat made 
of palm leaves. 

2 The prayer sanctioned by Pope Benedict XIV. 
In his brief he refused to say that it was miracuJoiishj 
painted and substituted that it was said to be admi' 
ral)hj painted. 

3 Neither the mass nor the prayer mention the 
miraculous appearance. , 

4 The cathohc historian Sahagun says about it: 
''Near the Mounts there are three or foiu- places 
where the Aztecs frequently offered solemn sacrifices^ 



Tlie Slirine of Touantzin. 39 

to Jivliich people came from remote places. One of 
these is called Tepeyac, tlio Spaniards called it 
Tepeaqiiilla and now it is called Our Lady of Gua- 
dalupe. In this place they had the Mother of the 
gods, Tonantzin, which means Our Mother, There 
they oifered many sacrifices, and peojjle came from 
a distance of twenty leagues or more, strong men 
and women, young men and maidens, all said: let us 
go up to the feast of Tonantzin. 

'^Andnow that the church of Our Lady of GuadaJu- 
2^e has been built there, she is also called Tonantzin. 
From whence came the foundation of this Tonan- 
tzin we cannot ascertain, though the word signifies 
that ancient Tonantzin. This thing should be reme- 
died because the name of the Mother of Grod is not 
Tonantzin but Diosinantzin. It appears to be a wile 
of Satan to palliate idolatry under the exchange of 
this name Tonantzin, and people come from as f 9.r to 
worship this new Tonantzin, and vfhilst there are 
many chapels of the Virgin they do not frequent 
them but come as before from far and near to the 
shrine of Tonantzin." The Viceroy Don Martin En- 
riquez and the chaplain of the hermitage of Guada- 
lupe ignored the aparicion milagrosa and do not ap- 
pear to have believed it even vfhen the King asked 
that the Archbishop should visit it and take account 
of the collections and donations received there from 
people who flocked there for healing as they now do 
to the shrine of the Virgin of Lourdes in France. 
Superstition however makes people believe against 
all outward evidences. 




VlAtt ^^'a AtQT;^ AVvi ?>\5U, 



CHAPTER VI. 

^ ^^^i^Poi^TEUE VISITS San Feenakdo. Removal to 
Matamoeos, and fiest acquaintance with Peot- 

ESTANTISM. ATTENDS OUE MEETING FOE THE FIEST 
TIME. 

I HE reader will pardon our presenting these 
^ horrid pictui^es of the actual state of the religion 
called Christianity in Mexico, prior to the advent 
of Protestant ChiTstianity, with the open Bible 
the most powerful of all forces to tear down the 
firm walls of superstition and bigotry. Such was the 
religion that Angela Aguilar had been taught to 
revere and when in the fall of 1873 a colporteur 
visited the village of San Fernando with tracts and 
papers from Matamoros she shared in the general 
voice of indignation which disturbed for some weeks 
the tranqmlhty of the village. A few books were 
sold, quite a number of tracts and papers given 
away, and for some months nothing more was seen 
of the schismatic book vender. 

Quite a number of illustrated books for childi-en 
were cu^culated and whenever Angelita saw any of 
these m the hands of her httle pla>mates she warned 
them of the dreadful judgments the priest had said 
would fall on all who read them. 

She was not always successful in her efforts, as 
she supposed to hinder a corrupt hteratm^e from 
being circulated in the village, but many were the 
praises bestowed upon her when she told her 
confessor how she had labored and enabled him to 
get track of the offenders and if possible get 



Itemoval to Matajuoros, 41 

possession of the obnoxious papers and commit 
them to the flames. 

Her mother's opportunity of service was interrup- 
ted by the second marriage of B S and 

having heard that house sei^vants were receiving 
better wages in Matamoros she determined to remove 
thither, which took place in 1874. 

She soon found a situation, but it was by 
separating from her children, though sometimes she 
could spend the nights with them. 

She had rented a room near the central part of 
the city where her children could live quietly and 
where she could go to see them when any exigency 
required. 

Angela was then about fifteen years of age. En- 
carnacion or Chona as she was familiarly called was 
about twelve, and the little boy Manuel, a restless 
obstreperous urchin of four years, who wore a single 
calico shirt, gave them a full share of anxiety and 
care to keep him anywhere within reasonable bounds* 

Angelita frequented the Catholic Church, was 
instructing a class of children in the Catechism- 
preparatory to confirmation, and when Bishop Mon- 
tesdeoca came to the city, she obtained an interview, 
and piously knelt and kissed his hand, hoping that her 
soul would be much sooner released from purgatory 
by this act of respect to her Bishop. She was pleased 
to see several of her pupils receive confirmation 
and with great pleasure assisted the girls to adjust 
their white gauze veils to go and confess, so as to 
receive their first communion, or partake of the holy 
wafer, which she reverently beUeved to be the body 
and blood of Christ. 

Such was her life when an unexpected incident 
crossed her pathway. She had been intimate in San 

Fernando with Petra S sister of B S who 

kept house for her brother M S a merchant 

whose place of business was near the Market, 



42 First Acqtiaintance ivlth JProfestants. 

However he determined to reside farther from the 
centre of town and being well acquainted with Jnhan 
Mireles, who had gone as colporteiu^ to San Fernando, 
on hearing that the room adjoining the one occupied 
by Julian and family and which had been recently 
occupied by Mica j ah M. Binford and wife, was va- 
cated, he rented the room. Julian had a . daughter, 
G-ertrudis, an excellent singer, and devout Protestant 
and their previous acquaintance was not interrupted 
bv a difference of rehsfious opinion if indeed anv such 

difference existed, for M S was a subscriber to 

''El Eamo de Olivo," and both he and his sister Pe- 
tra* were famihar with the reform movement 
inaugurated in 1861 by their uncle Ramon Lozano. 
They were tolerant at least, and when Grertrudis in- 
vited Petra to accompany her to the reunion or 
meeting of the ''Friends'' she gladly consented to 
come and was greathr pleased with the singing. 

A few days afterwards her intimate friend, Ange- 
Hta came to Yisit her and v^as introduced to Grertru- 
dis and was requested by Petra to attend the 
Friends' meeting where she could see how theu' sing- 
ing would compare with that of the Cathohc choir 
of which Angehta was a well known vocalist. 

A few davs later Juhan Mireles and faniilv re- 
moved to a room adjoining that occupied by the thi^ee 
children of the widow Zuniga. 

Angehta had lost somewhat her fear of heretics, 
the presence of two large Protestant congregations 
was a fact known to all the residents, and her mother 
was servant in a familv of foreimers who were 
secretly Protestants. 

Thus when invited by Grertrudis she consented to 
accompany her to the meeting out of ciuiosity only. 
It was a beautiful night in June 1875 that mth many 
misgivings of conscience this interesting young lady 
entered the spacious hall, Ko. 19 CaUe de Bravo, 
occupied by the Friends' Mission, and without the 



Friends^ 3Iission Meeting. 43 

least tliouglit that she would ever enter the place 



again. 



There was nothing attractive in the surroundings. 
The hall was like most buildings in Mexico, built 
on a line with the narrow sidewalk, and had three 
pair of glass doors gi^dng ample light by day. This 
being a night service it was lighted by hanging lamps 
in the alley and wall lamps with glass reflectors. At 
one end of the room v/as a desk, and on this was a 
large Spanish Bible, which had recently been acquired 
from a preacher who passed through the city, as a large 
Bible had not before been seen by our missionaries. 

Two preachers sat behind the desk, on the same 
level as the congregation, both were young men, 
aged respectively thirty one and twenty one years. 
Behind the speakers was a glass window opening to 
the yard; and to which the fanatical persons at times 
directed a throw of pieces of bricks or large beef 
bones to annoy the speakers and if possible interrupt 
the congregation. The street doors were open and 
oftentimes small groups of passers by stopped to 
listen to the services, some quiet and attentive, others 
boisterous and reviling. The speakers and audience 
were so accustomed to these inconveniences that 
they did not appear to be in the least disturbed by 
them. These were however novel scenes for the new 
comer, and she could not fail to note the contrast 
between this humble scene and the spacious naves, 
and heavy columns of the Catholic church edifice,, 
with the long row of pictures and statues of the 
Saints on each side and the altar in front glowing 
with gold and tinsel, and the new chandeliers 
with their gaudy glow of glass prisms which had but 
a short time previously cost over seven hundred 
dollars, and had been formally blessed amid the 
showers of incense and great demonstrations of 
jubilee in the presence of over two thousand specta- 
tors. 



44 Attends Friends^ 3Iission 3Ieeting. 

Here everytMng was rude and simple, but the 
language flowed forth, not in the accustomed Latin 
of the Romish ser^dce but in clear words in the lan- 
guage of the listeners. A hymn was read by M. M. 
Binford, which was sung by the congi^egation, and 
followed by the reading of a chapter of the New Tes- 
tament and remarks on the same, then one of the 
preachers knelt in prayer, followed by a brief and 
pointed sermon on the value of the Bible, and the 
duty of all men to study it diligently so as to know the 
will of God concerning them. The power of Christ to 
redeem the soul from spuitual death and give it 
power and hfe was dwelt upon, and the speaker 
pleaded earnestly with all who were anxious about 
their souls' salvation to seek the pardon of their sins 
through the blood of Christ, and hve a new life, 
kept by the power of God unto salvation through 
faith in the only Mediator between God and man. 

Angelita listened with deep feehng to these words 
and seemed to see how great a blessing she had been 
deprived of by a church which virtually prohibited 
her reading the Holy Scriptures. The answer of her 
own heart convinced her that words so fitting to her 
own needs must proceed from the fountain of all 
truth, she lost her confidence in the shadowy forms 
of Romanism and then and there resolved to be a 
Protestant. 

The closing service impressed her greatly. Agustin 
Gonzalez who had been admitted a member at the 
last business meeting arose at the request of M. M. 
Binford and in answer to his inquuies gave a full 
and clear statement of his knowledge of his own 
sinfulness, and clear account of his conversion, of 
his sense of acceptance through faith in Christ. A 
h}min was sung at the close when the eldest speaker 
said very simply: ''May God accompany all with his 
blessing as we separate." She was deeply impressed 
and longed for the next meeting day to come. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Obstacles to be ovekcome. Attends meeting again. 
The speaker is introduced and meeting de- 
scribed. Visit of Gtulielma M. Purdie and influ- 
ence OF A TRACT. 

||(HE next meeting was to take place on First Day 
afternoon, and she would have to go openly, and 
it would become generally known that she was 
an investigator of the new religion. She had a 
still more powerful obstacle to overcome. When she 
told her mother where she had been and what a good 
meeting they had in the Friends' Mission Room, her 
mother in no wise sympathised with her and at first 
was entirely unwilling for her to go again. Angelita 
however by the mediation of their neighbors gained 
permission to do so, and the arguments of Julian 
Mireles produced quite an impression on the mind of 
the widow Zuiiiga, although she was unwilling open- 
ly to acknowledge it. However he gained his point so 
far as to induce her to send her youngest daughter and 
little boy to the ^school taught by Grulielma M. Purdie, 
who was assisted in the recitations by Jesus Mireles, 
son of Julian, and thus on the coming Sabbath 
Angelita had the pleasure of taking her sister with 
her to meeting. 

The meeting was a very impressive one. It began 
with a Bible Class, the study of a portion of one of 
the Grospels, followed by a regular meeting for wor- 
ship and instruction. The younger children formed a 
separate class, and after the opening exercises with- 
drew to the interior porch, where they were instructed 

45 



46 Mission lleeting Described. 

by M. M. Biiiford, on whom the prhicipal ser^dces 
clevolved during the pnbhc meeting, and it tended to 
confirm Angehta in her adhesion to the Protestant 
faith. Her sister was also deeply interested in the 
exercises and ready to second the determination of 
Angelita to whom she had long been accnstomed to 
look for direction and instrnction. 

This was the beginning of an eventful week in the 
life of Angela Aguilar y Zuhiga. As we have already 
intimated Julian Mkeles had earnestly set himself to 
seek by some means to win Francisca Zuhiga to the 
cause of the Grospel of Christ. He saw that her 
cuidositv had been aAvakenecl and that whilst she 
was unwilling to let her daughter knov^ it, she was 
half persuaded to. go and hear what the foreigners 
had to say. Julian proposed to take her to the Pres- 
byterian ser"\T_ce, whilst her daughter was absent on 
an evening visit, and not let her know anything 
about it. Thus on Wednesday night at half past seven 
Prancisca Zuhiga entered the room occupied by the 
Presbyterian Mission in*company with Juhan Mireles 
and wife. Both the Quaker missionaries were present 
and by in^dtation the senior one took charge of the 
services. Thus quite unexpectedly she had chanced 
to hear the very same persons to whose preaching 
her daughter had hstened mth so much attention. 
Although she took at that time no open stand in 
favor of the reform movement, all her opposition 
to the attendance of her daughters at meeting ceased. 

The following night Angehta and her sister 
attended the meeting at the Friends' Mission, this 
time three brethren sat at the desk, one of them a 
veteran laborer in the reform movement, who 
appeared to be about fift}^ ^^ears of age, and v:lio was 
the principal speaker on that occasion. He read a 
part of Ms discourse, now and then launching out in 
earnest denunciations of the errors and abominations 
of Romanism and the horrid persecutions they had 



Cleinente Abrahatn Vivero. 4? 

inflicted on Protestants, not only in other countries, 
bnt quite recently in Mexico. He brought together a 
long list of martyi's in different epochs, closing with 
a touching description of the assassination of John 
L. Stephens at Ahualulco de Mercado, which had 
taken place but a few months previously, and which 
had filled the Liberal party with consternation. 

The speaker was as we have already stated a very 
singular personage in every respect, for although of 
a dark Indian cast of countenance, he was rather tall 
and slender, his large black eyes seemed to betray 
an ancestry which terminated among the Moors of 
Spain, his high forehead gave him an intelligent 
look, whilst several protuberances which would alarm 
a phrenologist and which seem to have resulted from 
blows caused by severe accidents in mining and the 
attacks of his persecutors, gave him a weird aspect 
not altogether prepossessing. One thing however was 
in his favor, he was a Mexican, he spoke his native 
language with surprising fluency and brought out in 
detail those political movements and historic events 
connected with the long struggle for religious liberty 
in which he had taken an active part. He seemed to 
bear the whole audience along with him in his advo- 
cacy of the Reform movement. 

We must bear in mind that he VT'as of a powerful 
mind and had a great influence on the audience. He 
had arrived in the city but a few v/eeks previous, 
the well known history of his sufferings had enlisted 
their sympathies, and they had collected about ten 
dollars to aid his family, which on this occasion he 
acknowledged by most touching comparisons with 
the benevolent exertions of the early church as 
recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. 

He made a most touching appeal to his hearers to 
cleanse their souls from having part in the blood of 
Stephens by leaving the church of Rome, and joining 
that movement which was in perfect harmony with 



48 Results of Tract Distrihution. 



the existing laws of the country, and the best 
interests of the people, to return to the first principles 
of the Grospel of Christ as found in the New Testa- 
ment, the Gospel of salvation as Christ taught it, 
without addition or comment, the alone way to sal- 
vation. Angelita was not only fully persuaded of the 
truth she heard but at once anxious to clear her 
own soul from any acquiescence in the death of 
Stephens by a public withdrawal from the church of 
Rome and an open avowal of her adhesion to the 
pure Gospel of Christ. 

During the same week she recceived a visit from 
Gulielma M. Purdie who understanding the difficul- 
ties she had encoun- 
^^_^ '^^ S-z:^ z~::^z ^ ~TII^ tered in her conver- 
sion presented her a 
beautiful little pam- 
phlet entitled ''jFa/^7^- 
er Ignacio and his 
Victims,^^ a deeply 
touching narrative 
of the conversion of 
a Spanish Countess 
who was burned at 
the stake in 1559. 
This tract presented 
infamihar converse 
the vast difference 
between the Romish 
worship of Saints, 
and particularly of 
the Virgin Mary and 
the New Testament 
doctrine of One Me- 
diator between God 
and man, the man Christ Jesus, and direct access to 
God in prayer and a clear personal experience of the 
pardon of sins tlu'ough the atoning blood of Christ. 




The Spanish Countess. 



ki rgi 



TJie CasfiUa'ti 3Iartyrs.^ 



4D 



The narrative of this tract opens in the beautiful 
home of Count Cardena, where the mother had died 
and the principal care of the household rested on the 
eldest daughter, who had taken due cai*e of the 
instruction of h>r ^^ounger sister. The eldest becomes 
anxious about her soul's v/elfare, for she notices the 

want of perfect peace 






even when attentive to 
all the duties and pen- 
ances of her church. In 
this mood, she takes a 
v\^alk in the lields and 
sits down by a rocky 
prominence to meditate 
on the wonders of nat- 
ure and the , beauties 
Cxod has permitted us 
even in this present 
vf orld. She hears a voice 
in earnest prayer, the 
Vv ords sound strange for 
she hears that Spain 
lies in darkness, and 
that voice asks God by 
the light of his Gospel 
to dissipate the gross darkness of error and save the 
nation. A moment later she is surprised as their 
gardener emerges from behind the rock, as. surprised 
at being overheard in his prayer as was she in hear- 
ing him pray so earnestly to God. She iinds that he 
possesses a copy of one of the Gospels, that he reads 
it daily at home to his niece, and she gladly joins 
them in these occasions of vforship and prayer. The 
Inquisition tracks out the Huguenot laborer and he 
and his protegee perish in the flames. He leaves the 
copy of the Gospel with liis v^ealthy convert, and 
that volume is blessed to the conver'sion of her sister, 
her brother is converted whilst copying one of the 

E 




THE GAEDENEE'S PEAYEE. 



50 RoTnanism still Unchanged. 



Gospels for the monks of Ms convent, all meet in 
the hall of torment and perish side by side in an Auto 
de Fe, The conversations embrace every point of 
difference between Romanism and Protestantism, 
and it was just the tract which Ang^lita needed, and 
was greatly useful in confirming the resolution she 
had formed to break away from Rome even in face 
of scorn and contempt. 

This tract has passed through three editions on 
our presses, the last one being stereotyped, and has 
been reprinted in Toluca and Guadalajara, thus 
thousands of persons have been influenced by its 
clear and bold teachings. It is chiefly a translation of 
a small volume entitled ''The Castilian Martyrs," 
issued by the Methodist Book Concern, New York. 
Some grave historical errors are corrected, for that 
volume has them perish in the Inquisition at Madrid. 

There were then but two 
Inquisitions in Spain, one at 
Valladolid and the other at 
Seville, where the family 
whose martyrdom forms the 
basis of the volume really 
suffered. Juan Gonzalez and 
his two sisters were tied to 
three stakes and began sing- 

AUTO DE EE, IN SEVILLE. ^^^ ^ ^^f^ whilst the flames 
' wrapped theiryouthf ul forms 

until their souls took their flight from the burning 
tenement to form part in the heavenly throng which 
John saw of witnesses j who having been faithful unto 
death have received a crown of life. 

To many of our readers any mention of the Inqui- 
sition would seem a needless reviving of records of 
deeds which history condemns, but we who have felt 
more or less the unchanged tenor of Romanism in 
Spanish countries, and have been called upon to 
record in our pages deeds of blood, when whole 




Martyrdom of John L. Stephens. 51 

congregations have been almost annihilated by armed 
mobs headed by priests, where in one case a minister 
was shot by the priest who led the mob, a foreign 
missionary being the first martyi^ to us Eome is still 
the Mystery Babylon^ stained with the blood of the 
martyrs. 

Yet this blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 
church, and no epoch of the work has been more 
fruitful to the cause than that immediately following 
the death of John Luther Stephens. At the sight of 
the mangled corpse weltering in blood, the wife of 
his native co-laborer whose life was providentially 
saved, and who was still a firm Cathohc, throwing her 
arms around her husband's neck exclaimed: ''Oh my 
child! I was unwilling to beheve that Cathohcism was 
a persecuting religion as thou didst tell me; I beheved 
as my relatives told me that the Cathohc religion was 
to be 'persecuted but not overcome,' but now I am 
undeceived. Was it necessary that I should see this 
in order to be convinced? We can no longer remain 
members of a church stained with blood and infamy." 

It may be interesting to know that one of those 
who took an active part in the mob which assassina- 
ted Stephens and sought the life of his co-laborer 
Severiano Grallegos, our peace poet, is now like him, 
a Methodist preacher. They recently met at Confer- 
ence. Whilst the recent convert was preaching he saw 
Grallegos seated among the preachers, and stopping 
his discourse threw his arms around him, asking his 
forgiveness for the rash attempt upon his hfe, and 
thanked God for having frustrated his wicked design. 

In the midst of such persecutions, and beholding 
around us the criminal conduct of priests, such 
as would stain our pages by their recital, when 
not only are the living hunted like wild beasts, but 
•m one case a dead body is scourged to cleanse the 
soul of its former occupant from the crime of having 
taken an affirmation to sustain and defend the Con- 



52 Present State of Catholic Nations. 

stitution and Reform Laws of Mexico, in the midst 
of such events we feel bound to handle Romanism as 
William Penn handles it in his ''Seasonable Caveat 
against Popery," as it ever will be handled by those 
who know its true character, and can trace the un- 
changing leopard spots beneath whatever enticing 
outward fleece they may be hidden. 

It need scarcely surprise us that in view of these 
things a very large number of people should abandon 
Romanism, and knowing no other religion should fall 
into infidelity. To such an extent has this been the 
case that a city paper printed in the capital of the 
State of Tabasco said of the attendance at services 
there during the Holy Week: ''The priest walks soli- 
tary and alone under the arches of the cathedral, the 
unbelieving multitude have fled from the altar, and 
only in the isolated ^dllages are religious services 
attended or appreciated." 

The reason of this apostasy is clearly set forth by 
Joaquin Chiriboga in Ms "ia Liiz del Pueblo :^^ "Faith 
and philanthropic sentiments have disappeared from 
the world because piety and good sense have fled 
from the church. The discourses of the Pontiff, the 
decisions of the Councils and the pastorals of the 
Bishops clash with that charity and right reason 
which should ever accompany the inspirations of 
those who call themselves the vicars and ministers 
of Jesus Christ, and from this results that chaos of 
errors and selfish passions in which Cathohc nations 
are submerged." 




CHAPT 
Openly embkaces protestantism. Is admitted a 

MEMBER OF FrIENDS' SoCIETY. GeNERAL VIEW OE 

THE Mexican Mission in 1875* New difficulties* 

^iTYlf E have now arrived at a point from whence the 
Mwl ^'^^^i'ds ^^ ^'^^ business meeting will enable iis 
?^f r to fix the dates and bring the events into his- 
torical order. The following Sabbath was a 
memorable day in the life of Angelita. It was then 
that she made known her convictions and her resolu- 
tion to openly throw aside all allegiance to Rome and 
publicly declare herself a Protestant. 

It was a severe trial, for she was naturally timid, 
^nd she knew this step would sever many ties with 
former associates, and would bring upon her both 
ridicule and persecution. It would also place her 
in care \)f new spiritual advisers, who w^ere almost 
strangers to her, for she had first met them only 
three weeks previously. It is true that one thing 
made her feel less diffident. In receiving counsel, and 
as she had formerly believed forgiveness of sins from 
her confessor, she was obliged to be alone w^ith an 
unmarried man, and the sad tales of the abuse of 
these opportunities for leading young females astray 
had filled her with anxiety, Avhilst those who were 
now to give her counsel and caution were both 
-married men, and their wives sat with heY dining the 
"meeting, and there was a certain nearness of social 
Reeling she never could Imve felt toward the priests. 

53 



54 Ufiites tvith the Mission ChtircJu 

There was no seclusion, when her request had been 
made known through the Idndness of Mariana Villa- 
nueva de Mireles, she was requested to remain after 
the meeting was dismissed, and whilst the audience 
was separating M. M. Binford went to where she 
was seated and began to inquire about the state of 
her own soul and her experience of forgiveness of 
sins and hope of eternal life through the atonement 
of Christ. Also of her conversion from the supersti- 
tions of Romanism to the free and full Grospel of 
Christ. Her answers were clear and decisive. She 
beheved herself to be a child of God through faith in 
the sacrifice of Christy and was determined by the 
promised grace of Grod to bring her hfe into full con- 
formity with the teachings of Jesus Christ and hi& 
Apostles as found in the New Testament. In her 
sister there was not that clearness and depth of ex- 
perience, yet there was a full acceptance of the 
teachings of Christ, and faith in him as her only 
Savior. She was fully prepared to second the move- 
ment of her sister and henceforth be one with her 
in Christian faith. 

So soon as the writer had attended to the distri- 
bution of some papers to the dispersing assembly 
he joined M. M. Binford in his conversation mth the 
young converts, and both being satisfied it was deci- 
ded to propose them to the next business meeting for 
admission as members, together with another person 
whose name is not mentioned. 

This was the last meeting our Friend M. M, Binford 
attended before embarking for the United States, for 
a brief journey as was then supposed but which 
finally resulted in his being unable to rejoin the 
mission during the eight years which have elapsed 
since that favored Sabbath evening. 

There was a feeling of sorrow at the brief separa- 
tion of one whose pastoral gift had been abundantly 
blessed to many souls, and had it been thought that 



Departure of Missionaries. 55 

this was to be a long separation (we will still hope 
it may not be a final parting,) the sorrow would have 
been unbounded. 

The mission at that time was sadly in need of funds, 
and aside from the broken health of his wife it was 
thought that a visit to different places would enable 
our Friend to lay the subject before Friends at home 
and save the mission. In tliis respect the results 
were most gratifying and the work not only con- 
tinued but considerably enlarged. Indiana Yearly 
Meeting appropriated $1500, and quite a large sum 
was collected in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New 
York. 

Little did the congregation think that in a few 
weeks they would have to part with another laborer, 
the veteran colporteur and evangelist Clemente A. 
Vivero, who accepted a solicitation from the Metho- 
dist superintendent of Western Texas and was soon 
after stationed at Eio Grande City, about 100 miles 
farther up the river, and on the American side. 

But a few months later they were to bid fare- 
well to their only remaining minister under most 
unfavoi^able and unpromising circumstances. But 
we must not press forward too rapidly. By examining 
the record of the business meeting we find that in 
the seventh session, held on the 7th of 8th Month or 
August 1875; ''This session was opened by reading 
the minutes of the preceding session, after which the 
treasurer informed, the meeting that $2. 50 had been 
collected during the month for aiding the sick and 
poor members, and he was directed to apply it to the 
-same use as that of the previous session.* The broth- 
er who presides, Samuel A. Purdie, then presented the 
names of three persons who were desirous of joining 
^s members, having been examined according to our 
Discipline, they are now admitted as members of this 



* To aid tlie family of Clemente Abraham Vivero, 



56 Ptihlic Confession of Christ. 

Society, on making the public profession of tlieil' 
faith, and acceptance of the (xospel of Christ as their 
rnleof hfe and conduct. The committee of beneiicence 
(overseers of tlie poor,) in the fulfilhnent of their 
commission reported that there had been no sickness 
during the month, and that Castulo- Salas desires to 
be united in membership with our Society. Agustin 
Gronzalez was appointed to fill the commission of 
beneficence during the present month. 

Jesus Mikeles, Seejj.'^ 

The minute does not mention the names of those 
admitted, and appears to have been an intentional 
omission, rectified by concurrent testimony and by 
being the only ease where blank spaces were left 
in place of names. 

As this session w^as held on the 7 th we find that 
the following day was the time when these two 
sisters made the public profession called for in the 
minute. It was a series of questioning very similar 
to that already mentioned, and took place in the 
presence of the whole assembly in the regular meet- 
ing for worship, vaiich in this case vfas on First-day 
evening, the new members simply rising at their seats- 
so that all present, not only members and believers' 
but unbelievers could thus feel the force of their 
testimony for Jesus, 

We might here state that often this plain testimony 
had a more con^dncing effect than the preaching of 
the Grospel, because they coulcj well understand how 
much self sacrifice it cost these timid converts to thus- 
openly break off old companionships and stand up 
for Jesus, not only before a frowning world, but also- 
before a powerful and persecuting church. Aside 
from the converting power of such a public profes- 
sion, or as the Spanish people call it confession, on. 
the audience it had a most beneficial effect on the 
new converts themselves. It was a decided step of- 



K-i*/ 



NeU' TrlaU and Pi'ovliigH. o/ 

separation from the world, and from the Catholic 
church as well. They were strengthened by the 
fc^avior's promise: — "Whosoever therefore shall 
confess me before men, him will I confess also before 
my Father which is in heaven/' Mat. x. 32. 

They were however fnlly reminded that a verbal 
confession is vain tmless the child of God shows 
forth in a Christain life and conversation the fruits 
meet for repentance, thus forming an epistle known 
and read of all men. These were days of much- 
reviling, crowds of rough looking people thronged 
our doors and many means were employed for dis-- 
tui'bing the gatherings, yet Vv^e may look upon this as 
a great blessing, for making it so severe a trial to 
profess the truth it cleared us of an element moved 
only by popular favor, who might otherwise have- 
sided with us without actual conversion. 

Aside from these trials an unexpectedly dark cloud 
broke over the young sisters who had now joined us^ 
Their mother had become tolerant^ and acquiesced 
in the change, but a sudden estrangement broke 
Upon Angelita from the very persons who had been 
the first to encourage her change of position. Sespect 
for the dead and love for the living induce us ta 
throw the vail of silence over those events which 
whilst proving the faith of the young convert ^ 
induced her to stand for the right, cost what it 
might. She determined hastily to change^' her homCy 
and in the emergency was obliged to take up her*' 
abode in a much humbler residence than the one she 
was resolved to leave. 





AT HOME IN THE WORK. 




lllerogliphlc iiame? of each day of the month. 

FKOM THE AZTEC CALENDEE. 

CHAPTER IX. 

The daekest houe :BEroEE dawn. Becomes an in- 
mate OF THE MISSION FAMILY. FlEST EFFOETS TO 
INTEEEST THE CHILDEEN IN GoSPEL HyMNS. 



N Ninth Street^ between Bravo and MatamoroSy 
some poor man had thrown a roof ever the inter- 
vening space between two humble dweUings and 
' closed it at front and rear, so as to afford a shelter 
which served for a shop. The roof was of inch boards 
with narrow battens, and having but a slight incline 
was but little protection against the rains. As no 
severe rain had fallen for a long interval of time the 
ground beneath was now dry, and as it was offered 
for rent at two dollars per month she decided to 
occupy it. Under the cover of night they took their' 
baggage and moved to the new place. The three 
orphans in a single journey on foot took all their" 
goods to their new homCy 



60 (jhfrnge of lii^sidene^i 

Nature seemed to partake of 'the same dark aspect 
las their siuToundmg circumLstances. It was a cloudy 
night and now and then bright chains of hghtning 
ilhnninated the northern horizon* accompanied hj 
low sullen rolls of thiuider, and as the young girl 
"reflected on the sudden change she found it impossible 
to sleep. 

She had joeace of mind in the thought that she had 
taken the rimt course, that she had decided not to 
be a hearer only of the Grospel, but a doer thereof* 
Strange as it may seem that very night a deluging 
rain broke upon the city and before day dawned the 
ground of their hoor was so moistened that on step- 
ping about it at once became reduced to a soft and 
plastic mud. 

The little barefoot boy could, however go to the 
market and buy eatables, so she gave him the last 
quarter she had and sent him to buy some things for 
breakfast and bring back the change. He went along 
the narrow brick side-walk and boy like carelessly 
tripping along let fall the quarter, which disappeared 
in the bottom of a mud-hole formed bv the rain of 
the previous night and if ever found, it certainly nevei' 
returned to its rightful ovmers. Yv'ith a mucldv floor, 
and no chimney, without coal and bankrupt, such 
was the mournful aspect of the new day as it opened 
upon this sorrowful group of children. Her mother 
had drawn all her pay but a few days before and 
now there seemed no recourse left but in some 
unlooked for interposition of Grod's Providence. 

These sudden and severe changes had wrought on 
her naturally susceptible temperament and she found 
that aside from hunger, which she not only had to 
suffer herself, and saw no way to abate the doleful 
j)leadings of her little brother, but she felt feverish and 
^fter sending her brother and sister to school she lay 
down utterly exhausted. Dimng the forenoon the 
countenance of little Manuel bore unmistakable evi- 



Severe Illness and New Home, oi 

dence of some misfortune having crossed Ms pathway, 
and this induced Gruhelma to question him closely 
as to the cause of his tears, and notwithstanding tiie 
efforts of Encarnacion to prevent his revealing their 
financial status he had no better thought than to tell 
it in full. 

No sooner had Gulielma comprehended their needs 
than she sent some aid from the meeting's treasury, 
which they considered a great favor, and thus they 
were only obliged to fast half a day. 

The following day Angelita found her fever 
increasing and Grulielma at once saw that the rains 
would soon render their hovel very unhealthy and 
perhaps imperil their lives, and therefore requested 
Angelita to come and stay with her until she should 
recover, and sne would also take care of her brother 
and sister meanwhile. 

Angelita was removed to an airy bed room at one 
end of our porch and the other two accommodated in 
the kitchen in the yard. It was expected that this 
change would be temporary, and that so soon as 
Angelita should recover, some appropriate room could 
be secured and they could again keep house by them- 
selves. Her symptoms became more serious and 
large red spots on the skin made us fear that she had 
been taken with small-pox, which had caused several 
deaths among our members. 

This however proved to be only a variety of fever 
which was of but a few^ days' duration, and the 
change from a mu.ddy hovel to an airy room with a 
plank floor had been as useful as medicine in hasten- 
ing her recovery. The days of her illness had brought 
her into intimate relations with Gulielma and the 
bond of sympathy seemed to increase from day to 
day, and so soon as she could be up about the room 
she used every effort to repay the kind attentions she 
had received during her illness. Grulielma felt the 
need of some such sympathizing companion to aid 



62 Angelita grotvs in Grace. 

her in her household cares, and thus what was 
supposed to be a brief change for recovery grew into 
a deep and lasting bond of affection which was not 
severed even by her subsequent marriage, though 
thenceforth she had her home elsewhere. Her resi- 
dence in the mission family was a school of useful- 
ness and notwithstanding her limited education, was 
wonderfully improved by her and fitted her for that 
position which she afterwards filled in the Church 
of Chiist. 

She grew in grace rapidly and began to accompany 
Grulielma in her visits to our members to give them 
counsel and encouragement, and to reconcile differ- 
ences and promote a harmonious co-operation in the 
Lord's work. 

It w^as customary at that time on noting the 
absence of any member from our meeting on 
First-day afternoon to go immediately after meeting 
to see if they were sick, or ascertain the reason of 
their absence. Thus the physical and moral status 
of the little circle was closely watched and the com- 
pany were brought into near fellowship and earnest- 
ness of purpose in the prosecution of the work of 
evangehzation. 

Angelita was an excellent singer and aided the 
mission very materially in teaching the children 
to sing, and thus early train their minds to a grate- 
ful remembrance of the many benefits their Heavenly 
Father has conferred upon them in the Grospel of 
Christ. 

About an hour was spent each day in this most 
useful exercise, which served to attract the children, 
and train their voices, as well as impress them with 
a sense of their privileges and responsiblities. Now 
and then some travelhng member of some of our 
sister churches or some loving sisters from the 
American congregations of Brownsville, Texas, would 
take due care to enable her to acquire the tune of 



JJsefiiluess of Gosjjel Hy^nns. 63 

some new translauon of our familiar Grospel hymns 
which by nearly every mail came from the pen of 
Thomas M. Westrnp, who has done more perhaps 
than any other missionary to place Gospel truth 
in the sweet language of song before the evangelical 
Christians of Spanish America. The little hymn book 
of 16 pages grew by these additions very rapidly and 
thus not only our own but other churches were sup- 
plied through our press. 

To give our readers an idea of the transformation 
wrought in English hymns when adapted to Spanish 
verse we present the following interlineal rendering 
of one strof a of the well known hymn beginning, 

^^WHEN I OAJ^T EEAD MY TITLE OLEAK." 

1 Cuaiido veo claro el titulo 

When I see clear the title 

Que me asegura los cielos, 

Whicli me secures the heavens, 

Digo adios a mis recelos, 
I say adieu to my fears, 

Dejo al pnnto de llorar. 

I leave the poiut of Weeping. 

This specimen will suf&ce to show that they are 
rather ifnitations than translations. Below is a minia- 
ture of the first page of our hymn book. 

LIRA EYANGELICA. 

Ci-NTICO 1? 
_1_ 

Aquljantoi rfunidoi 
Alab^tnoite, Senor, 
A tun lujos muy queri'o* 
Les concedes cste honor; 
Adorarte r »laliarte 
Sea nueetra ocupacion 
Qu« po<lamo8 pioclnmsrt" f t. 
Dio» d« nueitra salvacion. ) 

_2_ 

Siempre leas alaba''o 
Tor tu inmenia caridad, 
; Oh gran Dies j eel brado 
6ea» en la eternidnd. 
Td, Seiior, eres benigno: 
T<i pcrdonas con amor. 
I'e (U6 hijos lu ores dJgno ? t j- 
Dc recibir el loor. i 

L. 8. 



^yl f 



. ",f^ 




CHAPTER X- 

FULLEE OEGANIZATION OF THE NATIVE CHUECH, AND 
ABSENCE OF THEIE PASTOE. HoW THE MEETINGS 
WEEE CONDUCTED. DaEKENING POLITICAL CLOUDS. 

mNHE business meeting lield on the 5tli of Septem- 

tber was a noteworthy one. During the preceding 
month Clemente A. Vivero had removed to 
Corpus Christi, Texas where he was to preach 
until the meeting of the Annual Conference at San 
Antonio, and the church at Matamoros felt under 
obligations to give him a letter of recommendation. 
This letter was signed by all the members who were 
present and. was the outgrowth of their fervent 
desires to aid in heljoing this eccentric but in many 
ways extraordinary man in his G-ospel labors. He 
went in company with Ale jo Hernandez who had 
also been a very successful evangehst of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church in Texas, but had been 
transferred to the care of the new church opened in 
the city of Mexico. He had become paralytic and had 
been stopping in Matamoros for some months hoping 
for relief from the able physicians of this city, but 
becoming vf orse he returned to Corpus Christi where 
he had founded the meeting, and died there twelve 
days after reaching the place. 

One of the earliest converts under the labors of our 
Mission was a Frenchman, who had been a strict 
Romanist, and from curiosity came to our earliest 
meetings, but being very clearly impressed with the 

65 E 



66 Business Jleetuigs in Mexico. 

Trutli lie embraced it with earnestness and took 
quite an active part in onr business meetings. He had 
noticed that the frequent changes in the Junta de 
Beneficencia, were rather prejudicial than otherwise 
and by reading in the Acts ot the Apostles found 
that they called those appointed to this work deacons 
and seemed to have made no hmitation of time of 
ser^uce. He iiroposed that this change be made and 
the chinx-h be thus more perfectly made a reproduc- 
tion of the apostohc church. The members at once 
took the matter into serious and prayerful dehbera- 
tion, several passages of the New Testament touching 
upon the duties and qualifications of those appointed 
to official stations in the early church were considered; 
and then the meeting decided that being a matter of 
considerable importance and requhing much care in 
the selection of the proper person or persons to fill 
these stations permanently it would be best to leave 
the matter open until next meeting. 

In the meeting held October -Ith, 1875 the proposi- 
tion of Bernardo de Lapuyade was again very 
prayerfully considered and as it was also deemed 
necessaiy for the deacon or deacons to co-operate 
with the'minister in the pastoml care of the flock, the 
members had fixed then- attention on the qualifica- 
tions of Agustin Gronzalez and he was appointed six 
months on trial, and if the church then deemed best 
was to be considered permanently appointed. At this 
second meeting the necessity of appointing elders 
to co-operate with the minister and deacon in the 
care of the flock was brought forward. These ai3point- 
ments were lu'ged upon the attention of the meeting 
more particularly by the ill health of their pastor. 

I had suffered a severe attack of pneumonia the 
preceding winter and thus the dehcate condition of my 
lungs had by the constant exercise in preaching so 
as to be heard clearly by the crowds gathering near 
our doors and windows, given rise to a severe attack 



Appointinent of Elders. 67 

of asthma, and it seemed evident that rest and 
absence from this region of sudden and violent 
atmospheric changes would be necessary, and the 
young flock remain without a preacher. The appoint- 
ment of elders was left for consideration for another 
month, when Pedro de los Santos and Jesus Valdez 
were appointed for six months, it being a veiy 
general opinion that there were at that time no 
persons sufficiently mature in their religious experi- 
ence to be appointed permanently as elders of the 
flock. 

Thus did the little church arrange with due care 
and in the reverent fear of the Lord, to work togeth- 
er for mutual edification during the absence of one 
whom they had looked upon as their instructor in 
the Gospel of Christ. 

A letter of recommendation to the pastors of other 
evangelical churches and also to the people at large 
was prepared by the clerk, Jesus Mireles, and signed 
by nearly all the members of our meeting. We had at 
that time but few members who could not read and 
write, and we have not been able to make much 
progress among the more ignorant and debased class 
of people. It is the investigating class of people, vfliose 
minds have loosed the moorings which bound them 
to the blind creed of Kome, who have been most 
ready to rceive Grospel in this land. 

Whilst the tender interest of the members of the 
little church had thus made provision for the care 
and instruction of the flock, the weKare of Grulielma 
was to be taken into consideration, and Angelita 
became more than ever her bosom friend and co-la- 
borer in the household and in the work of the chiu'ch. 

The meetings were kept up in my absence, the 
exercises consisting chiefly of the reading of Scrip- 
ture passages and expositions, mostly from printed 
works, the exercises of prayer being mostly by Jesus 
Mireles and Agustin Gronzalez. , 



68 Voyage to Tampico. 

The reader will pardon a digression, and be ready 
to follow me in a hnrried sketch of my journey. 

There was at that time no line of steamers engaged 

in the coasting trade, which was hniited to supplying 

Matamoros with tropical fruits. There were two 

vessels making occasional trips, and on one of these, 

....mm^m^^m^r:^:-^. ''''Los Tres Hermanos^''^ of 16 tons 

^^' "" ':^^ burden, and drawing about two 

Wr^ i feet eight inches of water, I had 

^ 4 "t^® rare good fortune to secure a 

pf # passage to Tampico. We raised 

^^^^^^^^^^^ anchor, or rather loosed our rop- 
"""^ — ^^^ ing from a point known as ^^El 

"^.,t^.,^.......- Micelle,'' "The Wharf," though 

nothing marked the site but the name, and that was 
wanting. Wq were three days descending the Rio 
Grrande to Bagdad, a land distance of 32 miles, but 
by the river channel three times that distance. Here 
our little craft was detained four days by contrary 
winds, when we were able to cross the bar and 
began our voyage over the rough waves of winter on 
the Grulf of Mexico. This was on the 22d of December 
1875, and we were six days in running down the 
coast to Tampico, though in a favorable time the 
Journey is made in 48 hours. The weather was 
beautiful, but the wind was contrary, and the sea 
voyage worked wonders in restoring my broken 
health. 

The day I had left Matamoros, a native helper of 
the Presbyterian Church (North) had left Mexico 
city for Tampico, and the day we crossed the bar at 
Bagdad his steamship left the wharf at Veracruz. 
He reached Tampico five days before us. 

On this journey I was accompanied by Calixto 
Lara as colporteur, and as we had a large supply of 
books and tracts, although my chief object was 
the restoration of my health, yet we were prepared 
for active work in extending the Gospel. Our col- 



Permfianence in Tamplco. 69 

porteur was sustained by Friends of Baltimore Year- 
ly Meeting. This journey laid in some measure the 
foundation for the gTeat work since accompUshed by 
our Southern Mission. 

So soon as the place of worship was aiTanged, I 
joined Pedro Trujillo, the native heljoer, in opening 
meetings, and thus my whole stay in that city was 
an active effort to aid in laying the foundation of the 
mission now sustained in that port by the Associated 
Reformed Presbyterian Church. 

Near the city of Tampico are the ruins of several 
cities pertaining to the ancient Huastec kingdom, 
and I had hoped to visit them and collect some of 
the interesting specimens of antiquity which abound 
among the debris of their ruined pyi*amids. 

Early one morning we entered a canoe and began 
running up the Tamesi river, intending to land at 
Altamira. Our canoe seemed to open its way amid 
the countless multitudes of water fowl which were 
wintering in this delightful region, the banks were 
studded with tropical verdure, abounding in gay 
flowers, whilst birds quite as brilliant in color were 
flitting about amid the dense verdure. 

On the way we stopped at a ranch where we hired 
horses and a guide in order to visit the ruins on Sierra 
de la Palma, 27 miles from Altamira. Our guide 
swam his horses across the river and went by land 
to meet us at Tancol where we were to pass the night. 
The day had been cold, a brisk north wind was 
blowing, and a chilly rain kept us saturated, thus 
we passed the night without bedding, in a reed hut 
which had never been plastered, and we awoke next 
morning with a burning tropical fever, and had to 
abandon our jornmey and return to Tampico for 
medical treatment. I had especially hoped to obtain 
some of the small clay idols which abound in these 
ruins, and which are so thoroughly bui^ned that 300 
to 500 years of exposure to \^q moist tropical soil 



70 Interesting Hticistec Remains. 

and the shade of tropical vegetation have not injured 
them in the least. On my return to Tampico a pious 
Christian lady w^ho was interested in my remaining 

as long as possible in the 
city in order to help in the 
good work, presented me 
with one of these idols in 
order to remove all desire to 
visit the ruins. This idol is 
now in the cabinet of Earl- 
ham College, at Eichmond 




^')i \ 



Mr 



Ind. The accompanying 
cut represents one of the 
most perfect specimens yet 
found and is in the collec- 
tion of Alejandro Prieto, 
the historian. With the 
exception of the shortness 
of the forearm the figure 
is pretty well proportioned. 
Tliere is quite a diversity 
of opinion among antiqua- 
rians as to the true nature 
of these clay images. Some 
are inclined to look upon 
^^j.^^rT^^r, r.-r K^- ^^TKr^^c. tlicm as svmbolical me- 

HUASTEC CLAl OiAGES. , / ,t 

mentoes oi the person m 
whose grave they had been interred. These clay im- 
ages are found in the places of interment, which 
were orderly in their arrangement and decoration. 

These were but a trifle larger than our cut, and 
mu.st not be confounded with the massive stone idols 
which were placed on the summits of their pyramids. 
I saw two of the latter in Tampico, but was not 
inclined to purchase or pay freight on them. One of 
the latter class is represented at the close of this 
chapter. It was whilst engaged in these investigations 
that I prepared my ''Child's History of Mexico," a 



Motives of my Itetiirn Home. 71 

work wliich has been abundantly useful in combating 
idolatry in all its forms, aside from its utility as a 
text book for schools. About 5,000 copies have been 
put into circulation. 

The darkening political clouds, and the news that 
Oen. Porlirio Diaz, who had escaped from the coun- 
try, was at Brownsville, Texas, made me hasten 
home at oncc^ as Matamoros would be the probable 
point of attack, and 1 was desirous of joining my 
wife and tlie httle church in the hour of trial. 







^._-.-V'^l"^ 



V iMJf^ 1.1,' \i 



\%0i 




Mexican Stojs^e Idol, 




Jcijlptlired Rock, ?lioWi|ig flathead type of kz^ apd llijajtec linages. 



CHAPTER XL 

Anxiety of Gulielma eeom both seasons, ]\iy ab- 
sence, AND the THKEATENING REVOLUTION. ArRIVAE 

HOME. The storming of Matamoros. Trials du- 
ring THE OCCUPATION OF THE CITY, UNTIL TH]5 

ENTRY OF General Escobedo. 

nx^m'Ei will take a glance at the liousehold in Mata- 
mm i^oros in the latter part of February 1876. The 
§1? mails had failed to bring for some days any 
tidings of the absent one, and the impression- 
left by the last letters was that I w^onld embark on 
the first sloop np the coast. New^s had reached the 
city that the "Alba" of 19 tons burden, loaded with 

300 bunches of bananas, 50 pine 

^s^B^A^ apples and seven passengers, had 

^^^^BW,^^^ left Tampico for Matamoros, bnt 

" /^Wm \JI^^ ^^A failed to reach her destination, 

'^^^^^^^^^ 'the anxiety led to rumors and it 

^^^^^^^^^P was noised abroad that she had 

u AX \ ,v «ui n been shipwrecked. It is quite prob- 

Honieward bouiiil on tile Alba. i i .i i xi ^' ^ j. ^ ^ ju 

a Die that the light-house keeper at 

the mouth of the Panuco river had seen us driven 

past by a furious gale which it seemed unpossible 

for such a craft to survive. We had been obliged to 

seek safety in the roads to the leeward of Lobos Island, 

near Cape Koxo, where the coral reefs permitted us 

to anchor in safety. 

Grulielma had not given way to undue alarm, and 
waited patiently for further news. 

It was noon of a most beautiful day, the 28 th of 
February, and the prairies around the city were now 

73 



74 Ar^rival at Matanioros. 

covered with immense beds of verbenas, whilst a 
beautiful pink flower seemed to rival the fornier in 
abundance and beauty. 

Gulielma had made a call on most of our members 
that morning, and had invited ' the gh*ls and young 
ladies to accompany her in the afternoon, in a walk 
outside the city walls, to enjoy the fresh breeze of the 
plains, and the invigorating view of the spring 
flowers. 

At noon the owner of the buildings, who kept a 
hotel down town, called in to inform her that the 
missing sloop had reached Bagdad, that her husband 
was on board, and that most of the passengers had 
akeady reached the city, and that I might arrive at 
any moment. 

Soon a dozen or more of the young ladies and 
school girls had gathered for the picnic, and on 
hearing the report there was a divdsion of sentiment, 
some thinking it true, and others that it was a flying 
rumor, and so about half of the company went to cull 
flowers on the plains, whilst the others remained 
with Grulielma, awaiting my arrival. 

The sun was fast sinking in the western horizon, 
the party had become tired of rambling over the 
plains and hc^d just arrived under the .back porch, 
Grulielma was entering the sitting room to arrange 
the repast which they had intended to partake in 
the shade of the mesquite trees on the prairie, when 
we both entered the same room by opposite doors, 
and the whole circle was aroused, and the simple 
feast was mingled with the luibounded joy of so 
happy and scarcely expected an occurrence. 

The girls soon hurried home to tell their parents, 
and nearly all the members of the meeting called in 
before bed-time to welcome back their pastor, rejoiced 
at his greatly improved health. 

The girls' school was re-opened and Angelita be- 
came associated with Gruliehna in its management, 



Otithreak of the lievoltttion. 75 

and later in the season became its teacher. A few 
small boys were admitted, being all that there were 
at that time of the children of our members. 

The threatening political clouds did not delay in 
gathering, and on the 2d of March, only three days 
after my I'eturn, Matamoros was declared to be in a 
state of siege, and no one was allowed to leave the 
city without a passport, (ien. Diaz remained in 
Brownsville, and whether there was any organized 
forces on the plains west of the city or not was the 
subject of most contradictory reports. It is true that 
a merchant of Brownsville, who had been virtually 
banished from Mexico for his participation in the 
Empire of Maximilian, had organized a squad of men, 
who soon after took the little village of Reynosa and 
after levying a forced loan on the inhabitants had 
approached Matamoros. At Palo Blanco they had 
been met by Gren. Diaz who there reformed the plan 
of his proposed revolution, but a difference of opinion 
led to the withdrawal of the merchant who had 
headed the adventurers up to that time. 

It was now known that Gren. Diaz had obtained a 
loan and that he was giving his troops 50 cents per 
day, thus many of the poor people out of employ- 
ment began crossing to Brownsville, from whence 
they couivd pass over to the revolutionary party, who 
were enghged in smuggling arms and ammunition 
across the river some miles above Brownsville. The 
reports as to the number of troops thus organized 
were so contradictory that no reliance could be placed 
on the current rumors. The National Guards, or 
state militia, were mustered and kept in order, whilst 
active preparations were carried on by Gren. La Barra 
for the defense of the city, the cannons were placed 
on the earthworks which surround the city on the 
west and south, and there seemed no doubt but 
that the government troops within the city were too 
numerous and well drilled to expect an early attack. 



76 Storming of Matamoros. 

Some reports placed tlie outside party at 300 and 
others at 500, whilst the government troops of 
infantry, artillery and cavalry were about 700 strong, 
and the city troops ' or National Gruard consisted of ■ 
1,000 men. 

Yet on March 31st at a Uttle before sunset a 
reconnoitering force of 150 men, headed by Greneral 
Diaz made a feint of attack, and filled the city with 
consternation, the stores being closed and doors 
barred awaiting the struggle. After taking. a distant 
view of the earthworks these forces retired and order 
was restored, the stores opened again the same night, 
and Saturday, April 1st was passed without any 
alarm, the foreign residents had not been warned to 
leave the city and it was apparent that no immediate 
attack was expected. 

Sabbath morning, April 2d, was a beautiful sunny 
morning, all was quiet, the city was novv^ void of fear, 
the conflicting reports were not relied upon, and the 
mustering of the inside forces with the ostensible 
object of scouring the plain and driving away the 
enemy, had scarcely been noticed by the people in 
general. We had just done breakfast when one of our 
elderly members called for a few minutes, and as he 
was about to leave I asked him what was the news, 
and he said that it was rumored that the outside 
party would attack the city that day. As he left we 
accompanied him to the street door, and were still 
looking out on the street where he had turned the 
first corner, when suddenly the clash of closing doors 
resounded like rolling thunder all around us. We were 
looking westward toward the Monterey gate, when 
in the dim distance amid the thick clouds of dust 
we could discern the cavahy rushing dowii our street 
with dravm arms, whilst a shower of balls went 
hissing down the street. So sudden had been the 
attack, and so unintelligible the confused noise of tear ^ 
that in the few moments we had been standing in 



storming of llatamoros. 77 

the door- way Col. Parrat of the inside cavahy had 
reached the corner of the street, not 40 feet from us, 
and having abeady lost his hat, whirled his horse 
two or three times around, uncertain which street to 
take for safety. He finally took the north end of 
Ninth Street for Santa Cruz, and we having fully 
comprehended our situation, closed the door and 
running out at our back door, crossed the yard to 
our printing office, a small brick structure on Ninth 
Street. We had scarcely reached this place of greater 
safety when the troops of Gen. Diaz came past the 
office with drawn swords, fighting back the govern- 
ment troops, the terrible noise of clashing arms and 
the discharge of musketry being only separated from 
us by the inch doors and delicate window shutters. 

We withdrew to the back room of the printing 
office and took our position where brick walls would 
intercept the balls, and waited with almost breathless 
anxiety the termination of the struggle. The comjja- 
ny consisted of the widow Aguilar and her three 
children, my wife and an orphan girl of eight years, 
and our pressman and myself. 

It was not so much our own peril as the thought 
of the carnage in the streets, and a deep synjpathy 
with the sufferings necessarily incident to the storm- 
ing of the city. G-ulielma fainted twice, and suffered 
from chills produced by fear, from which she did not 
recover for some months. The others were nearly as 
much frightened, and the trial and anxiety of that 
hour and a half of suspense will never be forgotten 
by any one of our trembling little group. The noise 
finally ceased and soon the bell of the Catholic Church 
sounded forth the note of victory, victory to the 
forces of Gren, Diaz, but told us that our city had 
surrendered. We had not even bolted the doors of 
our residence and meeting rooms at No. 49 Calle de 
Bravo and as the thin wooden structure was very 
insecure we expected that what valuables we had 



78 Storming of 3Iatamoros. 

would either be stolen by the troops, or by the city 
thieves who would take advantage of the disorder to 
steal with impunity. 

We had just reached the back porch of our rooms, 
and were entering a bed room at one end of the porch 
when we heard the sudden blow of a ball, which 
entered the room at the opposite side and passing 
through a framed photograph, splintering the glass 
into fragments, struck the opposite wall from which 
it took a rebound and fell on the bed only three feet 
from us, throwing splinters from both walls over our 
heads, through the open door- way. Almost simulta- 
neous was the noise of a full discharge in line from 
both contending forces, followed in a few moments 
by the deafening roar of artillery. The bell of victory 
had been premature, the more faithful troops having 
taken refuge in the powder magazine, where they 
made a most determined resistance for over an hour, 
to a deadly fire of grape and canister at close range. 

Vv^ith the first discharge we rushed into the main 
building, the walls being of two inch plank, and 
throwing our straw bed against the wall as an 
additional protection, lay down on the floor awaiting 
the end of the struggle. The dull thud of spent balls 
and the deep roar of artillery were more terrible than 
the first onslaught, but there was relief in a myste- 
rious adaptability which in a measure destroys fear, 
by a surplus of fear, I might say a physical insensi- 
bility to danger, such as the soldiers speak of feeling 
when in battle, akin to that of Dr. Livingstone when 
shaken by the South African lion. I had experienced 
a similar feeling when the wild waves washed the 
deck of the "Alba," and partially dismantled we were 
hourly es^pecting a watery grave. 

It was not valor, though the latter had led us to 
stand by our flock in that hour. Yalor is only possible 
when the mind is in its normal state. In the rush of 
battle and amid the clamor and anguish of the suffer- 



storming of 3Iat(imoros. 79 

ing victims, pallor marks tlie face even' of the boldest, 
and this insensibility to danger alone makes it possi- 
ble for men to stand in the deadly combat; the same 
feeling overpowers the hnmblest resident, as his 
honse seems the centre of danger, and he knows not 
what a moment may bring forth. 

The bell again sounded forth the note of victory, 
the streets became quiet, in fact they seemed deserted, 
and some time elapsed ere the doors and windows 
were opened and people began to look out upon the 
street. When we did so, we saw a boy ride past on a 
beautiful horse, which was bleeding from a ghastly 
wound in the thigh, one of the incidents in the 
confusion of the hour. 

That afternoon a small company gathered at the 
usual hour, to thank Grod for his watchful care over 
them and their families in that trying hour. 

Gen. Diaz was aware that any delay would be 
likely to bring upon him an overpowering force, and 
determined at once to march upon Monterey. He 
determined to take the National Gruard (militia) as 
infantry, and vdiat troops had surrendered, and 
hasten forward. The National Gruard consisted of 
undrilled troops, and having taken a route very 
scantily supplied with water, sun-stroke and thirst 
soon thinned their ranks, and finding that he would 
be obliged to avoid the enemy, he sent the infantry 
back as it was an impediment to his march. 

We shall never forget the day these troops left the 
city, and the wives, sisters and mothers of the 
conscripts grouped along the street to take what 
might be last look at their dear ones, who Avere not 
permitted to take a formal parting from their families. 
The voice of plaintive wailing resounded from house 
to house, and many who had thus lost their only 
support, had not even food for a single day, and 
could expect nothing ruitil a final victory should be 
attained, and few if any were ever to receive any 



so Military Reverses. 

compensation whatever. Hundreds of families were 
thns thrown into the jaws of famine, eking out a 
miserable existence in the most menial services. 

In a few weeks those conscripts who did not perish 
from thirst, had either crossed over into Texas as 
deserters, or had returned in disorder to Matamoros. 
Efforts were made bv Gren. Manuel Gronzalez * for 
the city's defense, forced loans were levied, the earth- 
works were being placed in order, laborers were 
pressed to work on the fortifications and we were 
expecting soon^all the horrors of a bombardment, as 
Gren. Escobedo who led the government troops had 
hea^^ artillery with him, and Gren. Diaz who had 
avoided his march and had hastened to attack Gren. 
Fuero, had been defeated and his troops dispersed at 
the battle of Hicamole. 

During all this time our day school was kept up, 
the meetings were usually attended by all or nearly 
all of our members, thus our permanence among them 
in the hour of trial and danger, and our counsels to 
them to avoid being ch^awn into the current of 
political events, gave as a result an increase in number 
and a closer union of the body. Only one member 
had been conscripted, and he was never engaged in 
actual combat, whilst but one accepted a position in 
the Custom House under the Diaz government. 
-^ 

* Now, 1883, President of Mexico. 




Mexicaii him, 



'TER xm. 

Occupation of the city by Gten. Escobedo. Pko- 
longed siege, with the histoky oe the mission 

ChUECH DUEING THE SUMMEE OF 1876. 

^I^RO.M day to day the alai'm gi^ew more intense, 
A and the fears of bombardment became more 
^1 imminent, so that every effort was made to 
"^ prepare for the defense of the city. It was in this 
«tate of dread that the people of Matamoros retired 
to rest on the night of the 16th of May, entirely 
ignorant of the plan devised by (xen. Gronzalez, and 
when we arose in the morning, to behold the street 
lamps still burning, it was some time ere we could 
believe that at 3 A. M., Gren. Gronzalez had evacuated 
the city, taking with him not only the National 
<Tuard s but also the police force and night watchmen^ 
so that we were without any of the ordinary means 
of public security. Gen. Gronzalez had requested the 
foreign ambassadors to care for the peace and order 
of the city, and after thousands of doUai^s had been 
spent in repairing the earthworks and deepening the 
trench to ; protect the city, full arrangements were 
made for the peaceful entry of Gren. Escobedo, with 
his army of 3,000 men, and heavy pieces of artillery. 
All the arms and munitions of war were taken by 
Gen. Gonzalez who marched toward San Fefnandov 
During the day of the 17th the City Fathers were 
called together, not now the public officers, but the 

81 G 



82 Revoltitionary Incidents. 

merchants, la^^^ers and professional men, who were 
to form the Pubhc Secnrity, each store was to furnish 
one clerk, mounted on horseback, as a patrol, to take 
the place of the police and night watchmen. This 
last resort of government knows no nationality, most 
of the merchants being foreigners, as also the clerks 
who formed the patrol. This form of government 
needed no treasury, as the quota of each store was in- 
mounted clerks, who were supposed to represent and 
protect the property of their employers in common 
and in combination with their fellow citizens. It would 
seem however that among troops, pohce, watchmen 
and deserters^ all the bael people had left the city, and 
no act of violence or robbery took place durmg the 
brief and patriarchal rule of the Public Security. 

As we have akeady stated only one of our members 
had been conscripted and one had accepted a position 
in the Custom House, and both of these now crossed 
over to Brownsville, and remained there until the close 
of the war. The remainder of our members kept aloof 
from the revolution and quietly followed their usual 
avocations without interruption. This was mainly due 
to our teaching the peaceable nature of the Grospel 
of Christ, that his kingdom is not of this world, and 
therefore his servants cannot fight with carnal 
weapons. Another mission established on the frontier 
taught the same truth under many qualifying terms,, 
its pastor was absent collecting funds tO' assist in- 
building a chapel, one native helper was also absent 
for his healthy and the church was under the direction 
of another native helper, and the elders and deacons. " 
All of these were drawn into the tide of political 
ebulhtion, one of the deacons was sergeant, one of the 
elders accepted a commission as colonel and the 
preacher presented his name for a captain's commis- 
sion, another elder had become^ accomplice in the 
desertion of liis son, thus when Gren. Escobedo' 
came along, all of these had to take refuge m 



Incidents in Mission Work, 83 

Texas and thus all the work was suspended until 
the other native helper could return, and but little 
could be done until the establishment of peace in 
February of the following year permitted the return 
of the church officials to their homes, so as to resume 
their duties in the care and oversight of the church. 
This is an evidence of the practical working of peace 
principles in so warlike country as Mexico had been 
up to that date. 

The day school continued in care of Angelita, who 
usually opened the school with prayer, and aside from 
the Catechism lesson she was very useful in teaching 
her pupils by a direct application of Bible truths. On 
noticeing this unfolding of a gift which might make 
her greatly useful to the church, I determined to 
translate and issue the Journal of Jane Hoskens, 
which is full of such humble aspirations to be led by 
the hand of the Lord in his service, that it would be 
greatly useful to her in this period of small service 
in the Master's cause. This work was warmly appre- 
ciated by the Methodist missionaries, who aided 
greatly in its circulation. 

Angelita accompanied Grulielma in her visits to the 
families of our members, and was very useful in 
giving counsel, and in admonishing the erring ones, 
as well as in inviting those who felt desirous of inves- 
tigating to attend our meetings and hsten to the 
preaching of the Grospel. She was of a timid natui'e, 
and it was difficult for her to labor except in a social 
way or in family calls, but her labors in this sphere 
were abundantly useful to the infant church. 

Grulielma's health was greatly broken by the ner- 
vous shock caused by the storming of Matamoros by 
the forces of Gren. Diaz, and among those consulted 
was an aged woman whose treatment in such cases 
had been useful to many. She bad long been a strict 
Romanist, and was quite profane and quarrelsome 
with her neighbors, and at 87 years of age we had 



84 Conversion of Petra Garza, 

no thoTigM of her conversion. On one occasion when 
she called in the ministers of both missions were 
engaged in a weekly prayer meeting, and fearing 
that onr exercises would disturb her, Angehta took 
her to the school room in order to entertain her 
until our prayer meeting should close. She began to 
ask Angehta the object of our gathering, and as she 
overheard the singing of a hymn was much pleased 
with it. Angehta invited her to attend our pubhc 
meetings, which she promised to do. This was the first 
step which led to the conversion of Petra Grarza de 
Mendez, the closing years of whose life were to show 
forth in a wondrous manner the power of the 
Grospel to redeem even those who might seem to be 
immovably fixed in the superstitious ideas which for 
more than fourscore years she had held as her hope 
of salvation. 

A woman living near her home had a Bible and 
by invitation of this aged lady would go to read the 
Bible to her, and both were led by its influence to 
a full acceptance of the Protestant faith. 

Not long after the occupation of the city by Gren. 
Escobedo a large body of his troops went in pursuit 
of Gren. Gronzalez, thus the troops for the defence of 
the city were reduced, and Gren. Cortina who had 
escaped from his detention as prisoner at the city of 
Mexico, had organized his followers and began to 
scour the plains and at times to attack the city. 

One night as we were, sitting m our room, occupied 
in our several tasks, my own being as usual that of 
translation, a sudden and terrific crash was heard, 
and in a moment we bounded to where we could 
have the protection of a double planking from the 
the balls which were coming in profusion and with 
stunning force. The first crash was however the 
only one which entered our building. An ounce ball 
had passed over our heads at an elevation of about 
two feet above them, when striking against a thick 



A Otiaker Fort in Mexico. 85 

sheet of tin and just over the wire band at its edge, 
had bounded back into the middle of the floor, barely 
missing us in the rebounds The dread roar of one of 
the long field pieces made the enemy retire and the 
firing ceased. 

Nearly every cloudy night or foggy morning these 
attacks were renewed, and as balls were falling all 
around our buildings we prepared a small room the 
sides of which were protected Toy benches, planking, 
bedding, and such useful books as presented a con- 
siderable surface to protect us from the stray balls. 
We had it thus barricaded to a height of about four 
feet from the floor, and so soon as we heard the dis- 
charge of musketry we went into this room and lying 
down upon the floor, were comparatively free from 
danger. Our Friend Agustin Gronzalez had prepared 
a pit, covered with strong beams and about a foot of 
earth, in which he could protect his family, and we 
had often thought of doing the same. The right of 
self defense by such means being licit and laudable. 

Familiarity with danger had in a measure abated 
our fears, and by day when attacks were made, we 
scarcely gave them any attention whatever, and were 
often walking upon the streets, returning from a 
visit or some errand, some time after firing had begun. 
Several citizens had been wounded, one httle girl of 
our acquaintance, whilst sleeping in her bed, had five 
teeth knocked out by a rifle ball, which left an ugly 
wound in each cheek, and one of our workmen had a 
ball pass through the head-board of his bed and 
through his pillow, but taking a downward course 
it fell to the floor. We would mathematically calculate 
these cases, and divide our population of 16,000 by 
that number and thus And that we stood compara- 
tively little risk of injury. 

Were we to admit that one peaceful citizen were 
wounded in each attack, we would still incur only one 
risk in 16,000, and were a ball to strike us the chances 



86 



Revoltitionary Incidents. 



were more favorable to a slight injury than to a 
mortal wound, thus on the doctrine of probabilities 
we had a fair chance. But far above all was the 
thought that we were the children of a kind Heav- 
enly Father, engaged in his service, and he had 
promised to be with such as placed their trust in him. 
Thus during seven months of close siege and fre- 
quent hostilities we were able quietly to go forward 
with our work with very few interruptions. The 
most heart-rending scene during the summer and 
fall was the burning of the ranches to the westward 
of the city, by order of Gen. Revueltas, then military 
commander of the city. The poor people were ejected 
from their dwellings and not allowed to save any of 
their valuables, whilst their buildings were burned 
before their eyes. In one case it was said that an 
infant was burned to death in the cradle, its mother 
being absent when their reed house, thatched with 
grass, was fired and in a few moments was reduced 
to ashes. This was a reprisal, or might be a victory, 
but it was to the poor victims, pillage and murder. 




•i T'ictortjf, alias Pillage umd. Jfturder* 



OllAPTER XIII. 

CONYEESION OF LuCIANO MaSCORKO, INCIDENTS DURING 

THE siEGE« Death oy Castulo Salas during the 
*'big drunk" which eollowed the entry of the 
forces of cren. cortina. 

P to this date our mission had no native evange- 
[^1 Hst, since the removal of Clemente A, Vivero, 
and aside from the occasional exhortations of 
Agnstin Gronzalez and his more frequent exercises 
of prayer, the native portion of the congregation took 
Ho active part in the vocal exercises. We felt this to 
he a great draw-back to our work, for native evan- 
gelists have much nearer access to the people, and 
speak the language with greater ease. It is rare 
indeed that a foreigner escapes some chronic peculi- 
arity which marks him as a foreigner. The missionary 
is no exception to this rule. Some peculiarity of 
accent^ some slight variation in the sound of a vowel, 
some mista^ken use of a verb, or a badly chosen 
adjective, betray his foreign nationality. 

We had long had a useful assistant in the press 
l^oom, but unexpected difficulties were paving the 
way for his separation from our employ. 

One afternoon as I was busy in the printing office 
a young man handed me a letter which had been 
given to him in another printing office in the city. 
It was from a young man who had been connected 
with the editorial work of a liberal paper in Mier, 
and who had read ''El Eamo de Olivo" as an exchange 
paper, and desired to know more about the Society 

87 



88 Conversion of Ltictano 3Iascorro\ 

of Friends wMch sustained snch a paper. He had 
attended a few of the meetings of Clement e A. 
Vivero in that city, and had heen an energetic 
member of a society of '^Workmen" which had been 
organized there. He had also on one occasion dehvered 
the public address in the plaza on the national 
celebration of the uprising at Dolores,, the. first 
stroke of Mexican Independence. 

It was not an idle curiosity that prompted him to^ 
take this new step, and expose himself to the ridicule 
of his nearest relatives,, and most intimate acquain- 
tances. He was not only a decided liberal, but saw 
in Christianity as presented in ''El Ramo de 01iyo,'r 
something that cotild satisfy the longing of an 
immortal soul. He had lost all confidence in Roman- 
ism, and whilst in Mier in concert with his fellow 
compositors in the office of "La Lampara'^ had 
issued for gratuitous circulation that cutting satire 
on Romish superstitions which has .done more- 
perhaps than any other pamphlet to open the eyes 
of the devotees of Rome to see the errors of that 
chui^ch,- and the astonishing contrast between its; 
pantomimes and the Gospel of Christ. 

Completely weaned from Romanism ^ he had been 
hving for some time with a brother who was a Mason,, 
and had come under the excommunication issued 
by Bishop Montesdeoca against the members of that 
order. The Bishop had recently made his last visit 
to the towns along the Rio Grrande above Matamoros,- 
where he was met at every turn by criticisms from. 
the public press and found but few symx>athizers. 

This interesting young man, since so well known 
wherever the Gfospel has extended in Mexico, was' 
simply in^dted to attend our next public meeting at 
the usual hour where he could best understand our 
work. 

It was a night meeting, and the preaching was a 
simple exposition of the doctrine of repentance for 



Incidents during' the Sle(je. 89 

tlie remission of sins. Luciano Mascorro, for such 
was his name, Kstened with attention, he was not 
only persuaded, bnt felt the power of the Grospel 
reaching his heart. He was henceforward a dihgent 
attender and but a few weeks later applied for ad- 
mission as a member, and was warmly welcomed by 
the brethren to a place in our midst.. 

The vacancy in our printing office was now filled 
and his rare tjrpographical abihty soon made a Yer3r 
decided improvement in the appearance of our pub- 
lications. 

The siege continued mth unabated rigor, the mails' 
were closed, and for a time it was necessaiy for all 
burials^ to take place in the costly cemetery inside 
the city walls. The three bridges across the ditch 
were taken up and the gateways filled in with piles 
of posts,, whilst some wire fences were placed outside 
to prevent a sudden assault. Attacks were frequent,, 
and on one occasion as Luciano was walking in the 
street a ball struck about two feet before him,, 
imbedding itself in the earth. One afternoon as I 
was returning from Brownsville, which was our 
only outlet, coming around a bend on the street 
railway, where our car was in line with the east wall 
I could distinctly see from the car window the blaze 
of the two contending armies,, as volley after volley 
was exchanged between the insurgents and the force 
of Ft, Iturbide, where the eastern wall reaches the 
river bank apposite Ft. Brown. I hastened home as 
I knew that they would be nearer in range and more 
exposed to danger than I was where I first saw the 
combat. On reaching home I found that Grulielma 
and Angelita had just returned from shopping on 
Commercial St. and had been walking in the streets 
during most of the combat. Such is the confidence 
inspired by continued exposure to danger, and 
familiajdty with revolutions. 



90 Christnias ^xerciseSi 

iNTotwithstanclmg these critical suroundings we de- 
cided to liave the usual closing exercises of our school 
on Christnias night. Aside from the scholars several 
young people were to take part in the exercises, and 
a beautiful Christnias tree was arranged and filled 
^vith presents for the children, a special fund for this 
object having been raised by our members, amounting 
in that time of scarcity to some 16 dollars, most of 
which was spent in articles of clothing for the school 
childi'en. 




OPENING A BOX OF CHRISTMAS OIFTS. 

The evening was fine, the house filled to overflow- 
ing, and no part of the exercises attracted more 
attention than the closing address to parents and 
childi'en by Luciano Mascorro. It was his first public 
discourse in defense of the Grospel, and caused a 



Progress of the llission Chtireh. 91 

favorable impression on the audience, whilst the 
elders of the church thought they saw there the plain 
indication of a call to the ministry. He received the 
most cordial counsels of the officers of the Society, 
and soon after began to take part in the public exer- 
cises of our regular meetings. He had some months 
previously been appointed Clerk of the Monthly 
Meeting, held then as now at 8 P. M. of the first 
Saturday of each month* 

School opened again two weeks after New Years 
and Angelita had been able to add quite a number of 
children to the list, among others several grand-nieces 
of Ramon Lozano, the Luther of Mexico. She had 
been appointed as deaconess in November, 1876, 
and each month she had to give an account of the 
number of sick, and any other subject bearing on the 
progress of the church, especially those thftigs relating 
to the female members. She Avas accordingly very 
diligent in visiting the sick, and in counselling those 
who had become careless in attending our meetings, 
or had fallen into sinful habits. She was greatly 
blessed in this labor for Christ, and received the most 
cordial sympathy of the whole church, of which she 
had become servant^ as the Greek word implies. 

As we have previously stated, our members had 
nearly all refrained from taking any part in the 
revolutionary struggle which placed Gren. Diaz in 
the presidential chair. They were engaged in a more 
important struggle, and amid the varying shades of 
public opinion maintained a most strict neutrality. 
One of our members had some time previously passed 
over to Brownsville, where he had engaged in a small 
grocery business, and was getting along well in trade. 

He had a wife, some years younger than himself ^ 
and a bright little boy was the father's joy and the 
mother's pride. Prior to his union with our Society 
he had been an intimate friend and partizan of Gen. 



92 Pecieefitl entry of Gen. Cortina. 

Cortina, who since his escape from prison in Mexico, 
had gathered his followers and besieged our city. 

After the defeat of Glen. Diaz, at Hicamole, he had 
escaped in some way the vigilance of the forces at 
Tampico and by an unlooked for series of victories 
had taken possession of the national capital, although 
this event was unknown in Matamoros until 40 days 
after the flight of President Sebastian Lerdo de 
Tejada. Every other point had surrendered and a 
longer resistance here was useless. Yet Gren. Revueltas 
well knowing the character of Gren. Cortina, who 
after besieging us many months under various pre- 
texts, had now declared in favor of Gren. Diaz, had 
determined not to permit his entry into the city.. 
When Gren. Blanco was sent by Diaz to take command 
of the city, be determined to permit the peaceful 
entry of Gren^ Cortina. The 19th of February was 
fixed upon, and flowers were strewn in the pathway 
of Cortina and his troops. 

Castulo Salas, the member of whom we have been 
speaking, determined to cross over the river above 
Matamoros, and accompany his old friend in the hour 
of triumph, and entered the city on horseback, but 
unarmed, in company with the army. 

After the entry of Gren. Cortina a small bounty 
was distributed to the troops and they prepared for 
a big drunk, to celebrate their victory, not a few of the 
government troops getting more than half-seas-over 
in half a day. As the head-quarters of Glen. Cortina 
were opposite our printing office, then on Tenth St. 
corner of Bustamante, we returned home early in the 
afternoon as the drunken roughs were discharging 
firearms at random and thus endangering the hves of 
peaceful citizens. Early at night we closed our doors, 
for groups of drunken soldiers, mostly of Cortina's 
men were at the street corners near our house, still 
purchasing liquor and increasing the uproar. Just 
after dark we heard terrible shrieks at one of the 



Deatli and burial of Cdstttlo Salas. 93 

grog shops, or rather a store with a bar on the front 
end of the counter, as is usual in groceries in Mexico, 
and then followed the shrill whistle of the police tell- 
ing us that something had happened, yet we thought 
prudence the better part of valor, especially when 
dealing with drunkards, and kept our house closed 
until after day dawned the next morning. 

Just after breakfast one of our members brought 
us a paper with the police report for the previous day, 
and we saw that Castulo Salas had been struck down 
by the drunken crowd, one of his own party having 
struck him on the head with the breech of his gun, 
burying the lock in his brain. 

A messenger soon called us to the bedside of the 
dying man, who was entirely unconscious, although 
he lingered most of that day. Gen. Cortina offered 
to bear the expense of the funeral, but the desires of 
his wife, and there being no proof of his being in any 
way culpable, induced us to take charge of the 
interment. 

The following morning we attended the funeral, 
though quiet had not been restored in the streets, as 
a drunken officer fired six shots through the rear 
carriage as they went to the house, ready to take the 
friends of the deceased to the meeting, the carriage 
being empty at the time. We occupied the carriage 
on the return and it was with difficulty that we could 
induce the coachman to pass the same street corner, 
where he had previously been fired upon, though his 
aggressor had in the meanwhile been arrested, and 
was severely punished for his disorderly conduct. 

This funeral was one of the most impressive I was 
ever permitted to attend, and never did I feel greater 
freedom and boldness to show How the mangled 
corpse of our brother warned us to avoid evil associa- 
tions and yielding to temptation. The open doors were 
however crowded with roughs and quite a number 
of the associates of Cortina were seated in the room. 



94 



Anniversary Exercises. 



The SOtli. of January liad in previous years been 
kept as anniversary of the fcst organization of the 
Society, but owing to the state of pnbhc affairs it 
was decided to have as anniversary the last Sabbath 
of February, anniversary of the &st meeting for 
worship opened by us in 1872, and which was kept 
in succeding years. This time a new platform, with 
Bible stand, and hand-rail had been arranged by 
some of our members who were carpenters and was 
23 laced in oui^ meeting room that morning, gi\dng it 
a much more inviting aspect. 

Peace was once more restored to the nation, the 
j)rices of eatables which had risen considerably 
quickly fell to the usual rate, the mails were soon 
re-estabhshed, and our books which had been for the 
time hmited to the city, began to be called for from 
distant points, whilst the attendance at our meetings 
began to increase and the work take a more inviting 
aspect. 




Septeptfiojial ilfnefica. (|i1exico.) 



CHAPTER XIV. 
Successful effoets of Angelita in Mission Wobk, 

CONTROVEESY WITH THE PeIESTS- GeOWTH OF THE 
CHUECH. ChAEACTEE AND STABILITY OF THE MEXICAN 
CONVEETS. 






• FTER the restoration of peace our members who 
§§ had taken refuge in Brownsville began to return 
and thus our meetings began to increase in atten- 
^ dancCy and early in the Spring the grand-nieces 
of Father Lozano who had been brought into our 
day school were admitted as members, and the 
eldest of these being earnest in her zeal for the prog- 
ress of the Grospel, was one of a small band who met 
twice each week to practice singing and learn new 
hymns. The ability of Angela Aguilar was here 
displayed and many hearts were influenced in our 
public meetings by Gospel Truths taught in the 
sweet language of song. Luciano Mascorro was also 
an excellent singer and often in attendance at these 
gatherings, and once each week both the schools were 
brought together for one hour and trained in this 
useful exercise, and many truths sown in those young 
hearts may bear a rich harvest. I did not say tender 
hearts, for though many such there were, we had at 
that time in our school some pretty unruly children 
whose parents were friendly to our work, and but 
for their ungodly lives would have joined our Society, 
Protestantism had become popular and many who 

95 



S6 BemarJcciMe death of '"Bl Tejon.^'^ 

iad no use for the priests "began extolling Protest- 
.antism, thinking it a free road to heaven. We had in 
'Ouv school the cMldren of two noted bandits and 
highwa^Tiien, one of whom had been shot as an out- 
law, whilst the other was an officer in the army of 
■Gren. Cortina, knoT^m better as the border ruffian 
'^'El Tejon^ (the badger,) ^ corpulent and daring 
iellow. He met me one day, praised our school, and 
said that he wanted to join our Society, as he admired 
the changed life of some of oui^ members with whom 
he was acquainted. He reminded me of a man who 
ivas condemned to death in Grreensboro, N. C. some 
years ago and whom I visited two days before his 
^execution. Speaking of the visits of several of our 
jninisters to his cell after his sentence, he said to me: 
'^'I have always leaned toward yoin^ Society," when 
;stox3ping himself, he resumed, "No, I have always 
leaned towards destruction^ but I always thought that 
you were right," This bandit could not helj) but 
Tealize that he was hastoning toward destruction, but 
he was persuaded that Protestantism taught the 
i^ay of life. 

One morning just after school had opened liis 
daughter was sent for in haste, with word that her 
father was d^dng. The ch^cumstances of his death 
caused a deep impression on the class to which he 
belonged, and even theij looked upon it as a direct 
judgment from Grod. He was intoxicated and di^ove 
along on horseback, and was just passing the house 
of a woman of bad character, and stopping his horse 
began speaking to her, when taking his revolver 
from his belt he fired at her. At the instant she held 
both hands aloft in surprise, when he discharged his 
pistol the ball passed thi-ough her hand, and sti'iking 
the brick wall of the house, in the rebound struck 
him in the breast, and being imbedded near the 
heart caused death ahnost instantly. It was e^ddently 
no chance work, and Chiistian and infidel were alike 



Controversy with the Priests. 97 

awed by so unlocked for a termination of the life of 
"^/ Tejon,^^ How a ball should have struck so as to 
return like a boomerang, and with sufficient force to 
cause a mortal wound, and thus kill the one who 
fired it, is yet a mystery, but the fact itself was so 
evident that the judge had no difficulty in declaring 
that it was a case of accidental suicide. 

In May of that year we were called to the bedside 
of a dying woman in Brownsville, and as usual 
Angelita was one of the company. We had been 
sent for at a late hour the previous night, when it 
was not practicable to go as the ferry would not be 
open for us to return, and when we reached the house 
next morning a Komish Priest was at her bedside. He 
had been sent for in the absence of the husband of 
the dying woman by some negresses who Uved in the 
larger jacal in the same yard, and they claimed that 
the dying woman had solicited his coming, but she 
was evidently not conscious of what was passing 
around her. The first priest left to send the more 
daring superior of the order, who though known under 
another name are really Jesuit, and quite a contro- 
versy ensued in which Angelita boldly opened her 
Bible to answer the arguments of the priest, who 
was not a little surprised at her boldness. The husband 
of the dying woman assured the priest that both 
himself and wife were members of our meeting and 
that he had never heard her express a desire to con- 
fess, and was aware that she had sent for us the 
previous night. The group of Louisiana negroes 
however called the owners of the building who 
ordered our ejection in company with the husband 
on the ground that the latter paid no rent, and there 
being no remedy we stood in the yard, whilst the 
door was closed and the priest claimed that the 
woman confessed and received extreme unction, 
though in a few moments the doors was opened to 
light the candles for she was dead. 

H 



98 Adopting a Motherless Girl. 

By request of the husband we took charge of the 
burial, and when we went to the house to take the 
corpse to the Presbyterian Church the widowed hus- 
band was sitting by the fence, whilst his little ragged 
girl, only two years old lay on a sheep skin under the 
scorching sun by his side. She was weeping for her 
mother, and had only partaken of some partly cooked 
beans, and was really a most touching sight. We had 
known them for several years, and were present at 
their marriage, the father of this woman having been 
a pillar in our church from the beginning, the first of 
our converts in Mexico to join the throng which sur- 
rounds the throne of Grod. We asked the father to 
give us the little suffering child, which was brought 
to our house that evening, and has ever since been 
under our care, whom not a few of our friends will 
remember having seen during our visit to our native 
land in 1881. 

The following day Grulielma, whose health was 
still precarious, joined a company who went to bathe 
in the Grulf , at Agua Dulce, and the weeping little 
stranger spent the first week in her new home in the 
arms of Angelita. 

In August of the same year Gulielma went again 
to the sea- side, and I was able to accompany her, 
taking our adopted child with us, and leaving Ange- 
lita in charge of the school, and Luciano in charge 
of the press work. It was during our absence that 
Luciano first suggested to Angelita his offer of 
marriage. It was not one of those lucifer matches, so 
suddenly planned and executed, but a most deliberate 
desire to further the cause of the Grospel of Christ, 
so dear to each of them, and which was to be carried 
out after the most mature and prayerful deliberation.^ 
We were the first persons to be consulted by both 
parties and were glad indeed that so appropriate a 
union should open before them. ' ., 



stability of the Mexican Converts. 99 

That summer was one of unusual prosperity in 
both the Missions at Matamoros and ahnost every 
month new members were added to our meeting, 
some from a decided preference to our tenets, others 
because they first received Christ through our minis- 
try. One of the former class, father of a numerous 
family had been a very wicked man, but his conver- 
sion was real, and he became a pillar in the church. 

The Mexican converts evince great independence 
of thought, carefully studying the Scriptures with 
desires to know the truth, and to receive it from 
Christ alone, and very unwilling that anything should 
hinder their doing the will of their Master. Casting 
aside the dogma of Papal infallibility, they rest less 
on the opinions of others than most Christians in a 
land where Romanism never held sway. 




AZTEC EDUCATION. 

Correcting a pupil witli tlie pointed leaves of tlie Pita or Spanish Dagger. [Yucca gloriosa.] 

Tlic tongues signify reproofs. Aztec liierogljpliics always have eves like a front view. 



LofC. 




MEXICAN SCENERY, FALLS OF REGLA. 



OHAPTER XV; 

PREPAEATIONS FOB CHRISTMAS. ReTUBN OF THE PLOBES 

FAMILY. Remarkable instance connected with 
1:he illness and death oip Pedro Gonzalez. The 

MARRIAGE OJ^ ANGELITA. 

^S the year 1877 was closing the school changed 
hands, for Angelita was arranging for her mar- 
®f riage and could not much longer retain her 
^ position, A family which had been very useful 
I H aiding us to acquire language on our arrival, had 
afterwards returned to Monterey and from there to 
Lampazos, where the four daughters had charge of 
the public school for about tw^o years. Returning to 
Camargo on the Rio Grande, they wrote to us 
offering to furnish us a teacher^ and a month before 
Christmas Emilia Flores took charge of the school, 
and her three sisters assisted in the composing room 
mid folding and stitching department, as our books 
had become numerous and the circulation over all 
Spanish America requii^d greater acti^rity in the 
publishing department. 

A new era in the life of the church was inaugur- 
ated, the members were united and enthusiastic iii 
their love for the work, a session of about thirty of 
the most earnest members met to arrange for the 
Christmas exercises of the two schools, who subscri- 
bed over twenty dollars for that object, and decided 
to have a regular tax list whereon every member 
<30uld subscribe the amount he was willing to give 
Monthly for the care of the poor and the requii^ments 
of chuiH3h workv 



102 Death of Pedro Gonzalez. 

The exercises were well arranged and the night 
being beautiful the hall was crowded to excess, the 
interior rooms of our dwelling were occupied by many 
of the motherswho having little babes were unwilling 
to pack in the crowd and who could see and hear 
through an open doorway, whilst all the windows 
were thronged and a crowd in all the doors opening 
to the street, where a policeman kept perfect order. 

The exercises consisted mainly of declamations in 
both prose and poetry by the children, and that night 
hundi^eds heard for the first time of the love of Jesus 
and the greatness of his mission through their 
instrumentality. Brief discourses from several of our 
leading members opened and closed the exercises, 
and thus a favorable impression was made upon 
many who had been led to attend from a mere idle 
curiosity to see the Protestants. 

One of the most interesting incidents of the winter 
was the death of Pedro Gonzalez, who though not a 
member had long read our publications with 
interest, and now that he neared his close he often 
sent for us, and many interesting seasons w^ere 
enjoyed as we read the Scriptures and sung hymns 
by his bedside, and were engaged in exhorting him 
to confidence in the sacrifice of Christ, and some of 
our company knelt in prayer with him. 

His wife was a strict Romanist, and a considerable 
part of one side of the room was occupied by an altar 
crowned with pictiu-es and images of Saints, to whom 
she often burned wax candles. Her husband declared 
that he had no confidence in these figures, but rested 
plainly on the sweet words of his lo\dng Savior. His 
wife sent for a priest one day, but as the dying man 
expressed his conviction that their teachings were 
wrong, the priest left quite abruptly. As some tried 
to circulate word that he had retracted, his wife had 
the kindness to send us a letter stating that our visits 



Marriage of Ltieiano and Angela. W3 

had been a source of great comfort to her husband 
and that he died, as he had hved, a Protestant. 

I must not omit to mention our first acquaintance 
with this person and the permanent fruit wliich grew 
out of it. In one room of his house was a cigarette 
factory with five operatives, and tlie old gentleman 
was usually to be seen sitting in the doorway. On one 
occasion as M. M. Binford was passing along distrib- 
uting tracts he accosted Pedro and offered him one. 
A conversation ensued and Micajah was invited to 
enter, and gave tracts to ail the workmen but one. 
This one was son-in-law of Pedro, and was so fearful 
of being contaminated with heresy that he dared 
not even look up to see the heretic. The tracts were 
read and commented upon, and on the next visit 
this young man secretly wished for a tract but did 
not dare to ask for it. Soon after this young m-an began 
attending our meetings, and is now one of our most 
successful evangelists, and endued with a large share 
of spiritual discernment. His name is Francisco 
Pena, His labors however do not enter until near the 
close of the present volume. 

It was not until March of 1878 that Angela Aguilar 
was united in marriage with Luciano Mascorro. Few 
countries take greater care in regard to marriage 
than Mexico, and the laws render clandestine marria- 
ges impossible. The parties go before the civil judge 
with two male witnesses for each party, all of whom 
must be persons of known good character and resi- 
dents of the town where the marriage is to take 
place. The name and consent of parents, and the 
names of the grand-parents, as well as the place of 
residence of all these ancestors is carefully noted 
down, and the whole written out in a formal declara- 
tion, three copies of which are posted on the doors 
of at least three of the offices of the city council and 
judges. The names also usually appear in the public 
newspapers during the two weeks which intervene 



1Q4 Civil Mafriage in Mexico. 

between the first and second presentation before tbe 
judge. When one of the parties has recently arrived 
from some other point the proceedings are delayed 
until the authorities of the place in which he or 
she formerly resided can be duly consulted as to their 
clearness of like engagements there. In case one of 
the parties is a widow or widower a certificate of the 
civil register of deaths and interments from the place 
where said party deceased is indispensable, and thus 
it is not unusual for two months to elapse between 
the first and second presentation before the civil 
magistrate. On the second presentation, if no obsta- 
cle has presented, the Judge reads the report of the 
first presentation and asks the parties, who remain 
seated, usually side by side, though this is not neces- 
sary, if it is still their free and voluntary desire to 
take each other in marriage, and on receiving an 
affirmative answer from each party, he proceeds to 
read the duties and obligations of married life in a 
legal point of view, a document as ably written as 
any I have ever seen upon marriage. 

In Mexican law marriage is a union for life, no 
divorce being granted, and though a temporary 
separation may be legally aiTanged in case of adultery^ 
yet even then neither party is free to contract mat- 
rimony, and the law hopes even in these cases for an 
ultimate reconciliation and reunion of the parties. 

This law is based upon the Roman Catholic inter- 
pretation of the words of Christ: — "Whosoever shall 
put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication^ 
causeth her to commit adultery:'*'' arguing that having 
already committed adultery was the cause of our 
Savior's exception to such an act causing her to 
commit adultery, although in Mat. xix. 9. the words^ 
of Christ do not admit this evasion. However it 
is very evident that the people of Mexico, and indeed 
of Spanish America in general are not prepared to 
admit divorce laws, nor are the results of these laws 



Mexican Marriacie Lcites. lo5 

in othei' countries sufficiently encouraging to convince 
them that they are desirable. 

On the other hand as their law limits all accusation 
of adultery to the injured party, though having no 
legal sanction, concubinage is not uncommon among 
the wealthy, particularly foreign merchants, mostly 
French, Spanish and Italian, who live with Women 
without legal marriage. As the Romish Priests view 
the liberal government as their enemy, usurper of 
their temporal power, when parties present them- 
selves before them for marriage, they are not asked 
whether they have contracted marriage before the 
judge or not, but are united in matrimony by the 
church, though one or both may be already married 
by law. This causes the most lamentable results, as 
many unprincipled young men marry before the 
priest, and after a while, finding another bride more 
to their taste forsake their church wife and marry 
the new one before the civil judge. The church may 
excommunicate the bridegroom, but the deserted 
wife has no redress, her children are illegitimate in 
a legal point of view, and can receive but a limited 
part of their father's property. 

The legal side is not so tolerant, for when a man 
leaves his legal wife and marries another in the church, 
he can at her accusation be punished for adultery, and 
her children are his legal heirs, and no man can leave 
by will more than one fifth of his property, except to 
his heirs at law, so that this class of marriages is 
rare. One took place some years ago in Soto la Ma- 
rina, but the priest who had counselled and solem- 
nized the marriage was imprisoned as abettor of im- 
morality, and only released on the payment of a 
heavy fine. 

Recently some of the authorities^ especially the 
Grovernor of Coahuila have forbidden the priests to, 
marry parties except in view of a certificate from the 
civil magistrate, or baptize ^ny children not regis- 



106 Mexican Marriage Laws. 

tered on the civil register. Over 700 children ^vere 
registered in one month in the city of Saltillo alone 
in execution of this law, and the Bishop became so 
incensed that he forbade the priests administering 
the sacraments, as they call them, until the law be 
repealed. Bishop Montesdeoca who issued this order 
is famous as one of the clerical embassy which went to 
Miramar to offer theii* government to a foreign 
potentate, and he held the Grospels whilst Maximilian 
took the oath of office as emperor of Mexico. Ai'ch- 
bishop Labastida (who was regent of that imported 
monarchy, sustained by the troops of Xapoleon III.) " 
does not seem to approve of the course of Montesde- 
oca, fearing it may lead to the expulsion of the priests, 
as the government expelled the sisters of Charity in 
1875, for like infractions of the Reform Laws 
established by President Juarez. 

The civil power does not prohibit but rather 
encoiu'ages the parties to ratify their marriages before 
their res]3ective churches, and if the nmrriage takes 
place at the house of the parents of the bride, or any 
private residence, the rehgious ceremony may take 
j^lace immediately after the civil marriage, and some 
times jtidge and priest are both present dimng the 
whole ceremony. 

The Protestant chiu'ches uniformly require that 
the parties present proof by their witnesses of ha^dng 
comphed with the law, the solemnization taking place 
immediately after the civil marriage has been per- 
formed. Thus Luciano and Angelita, accompanied by 
their T\4tnesses, arrived from the office of the ci^^l 
magistrate and entered the meeting already gathered 
for the occasion and took their seats at a table fronting 
the preacher's desk,with their waiters seated at either 
side, after a discourse on the religious aspect of 
maiTiage they arose to ratify before the assembled 
chiu'ch that act which had just been sanctioned 
before the lesfal authority'. 



The Marriage S%tpi)9r. 



107 



It was a beautiful night, the hall was adorned with 
vases of flowers, and the seats were crowded, the 
windows and doors also closely packed with spec- 
tators, the presence of a policeman preserving order 
without difficulty. The supper was prepared in a large 
interior room, those who had been invited passed out 
following the couple to the seats at the table, the 
audience dispersing so quietly that the policeman, who 
was a member of our meeting, was invited to a seat 
at the table, where the blessing of Grod on the social 
gathering was again invoked and a sweet solemnity 
pervaded the happy festive occasion. 




QfV-f--ft-'v'Mi'' I I I 



■ ■ . Ill 2i- a r. - n 



'^ 




CHAPTER XVI. 

Conversion of Julio Gonzalez Gtea. Recognition 
OF Luciano Mascorro as Minister of the Gos- 
pel. Visit to San Fernando. Epidemic fever. The 

admission of I. BOLADO. CHRISTMAS EXERCISES. 

I BOUT a month after the marriage, as we were 
about sitting clown to tea a very pleasant man in 
middle life stepped up and introduced himself by 
showing us a note written on a blank leaf in his 
diary and signed by Clemente A. Vivero. He stated 
that whilst passing through Reynosa he had met on 
the bank of the river a very strangely clad fisherman, 
who had told him about our work in Matamoros, and 
whose clear declaration of the Gospel was very much 
in accord with his own convictions. He had served in 
the war against the North Americans in 1847, and 
was severely wounded in the bombardment of Vera 
Cruz, by a shell from the fleet of Gen. Scott. Hei^was 
then a mere lad, and like many others endeavored to 
defend his native city from an unjust foreign invasion. 
During the French invasion he had taken no part, 
as he had near relatives in both contending armies, 
whose blood he was unwilling to shed. He had how- 
ever recently occupied a position in the government 
of the State of Chihuahua, and having four children 
was very desirous to direct them aright in religious 
matters. His name was Julio Gonzalez Gea. 

He began attending our meetings regularly and two 
months later he was admitted a member as were also 
his children at his request. 

109 



110 Luciano is Recorded a Minister. 

He took great interest in our meetings and his 
children began attending our school, except his eldest 
daughter who was his house-keeper. As he lived near 
the central square, in his profession of watch repairer, 
his children had to come quite a distance and were 
often treated with abusive language and brick-bats 
by the boys going to the public schools. This was to 
them quite a trial, and the more so as they were near 
relatives of Col. Cristo former mihtary commander of 
the government forces stationed in Matamoros. 

Julio Gonzalez Gea was soon after appointed Sec- 
retary of our monthly business meeting, and thus was 
present at the public recognition of Luciano Mascorro 
as Minister of the Gospel in the Society of Friends. 
The Foreign Mission Committee of Indiana Yearly 
Meeting had given its sanction, and in part had sug- 
gested the plan of the meeting. The monthly meeting 
was on the night preceding the public recognition, 
which took place at the close of our public meeting 
for worship in the afternoon of September 12th, 1879. 

During this meeting Luciano was seated with the 
elders and deacon in a row in front of the audience 
and facing the platform where the secretary, who 
was to read the minute of the meeting was seated at 
my side for the first time. 

The meeting opened as usual with reverent prayer 
to God to accompany this solemn occasion with a 
special blessing, and the singing of hymns of praise 
to him for past favors and blessings. This was followed 
by a discourse on the origin, nature and obligations 
of the Gospel ministry, setting forth that they are 
in no wise priests or successors of those who sacri- 
ficed at the altar, but successors of the prophets who 
were specially called to called to teach the people the 
will of God. This call was the first great requisite of 
a Christian minister, when he should consecrate all 
his- natural and acquired abilities to the full discharge 
of liis duty in order to insure success in the work. 



Luciano vists San Fernando, in 

The sermon was listened to with the most marked 
attention, and is the only one which at the request 
of several of our members was embodied in a pam- 
phlet which was published in order to show the wide 
difference between the Romish priesthood sacrificing 
at the altar, and the Chiistian ministry boldly and 
clearly expounding the will of God, opening to their 
hearers the pages of his holy word as recorded for 
our instruction in righteousness. 

After the sermon I took him by the hand in the 
name of the Foreign Mission Committee, extending 
to him their cordial fellowship in the ministry of the 
Grospel. Each of the elders as well as the deacon 
followed, the secretary closing the series of personal 
exhortations and recommendations to the care and 
guidance of the great Head of the church. After the 
meeting was dismissed quite a number of members 
followed with similar exhortations, which always 
accompany the appointment of church officers as a 
natural expression of that earnest zeal which 
characterizes the Mexican converts to evangelical 
Christianity . 

Soon after this event Luciano paid a visit to San 
Fernando, and although great alarm had already 
existed in Matamoros about yellow fever, in no place 
was its approach less looked for than from the quiet 
little village of San Fernando, situated on a limestone 
bluff on the banks of a beautiful river flowing over 
a rocky bed. Thus when Luciano left for that village 
little did we think of the danger to which he was 
exposing himself. The fact that a fever of a very 
fatal nature had unfolded itself in San Fernando 
became known to us a few days after he left us, for 
as there was no resident physician the people had 
sent 120 miles for one of our city physicians. When 
Luciano reached there he found every house full of 
sick people, the village proper having 2000 inhabi- 
tants had about 300 sick and the death rate was so 



112 Epidemic fever at San Fernando. 

alarming that quite a number fled to our city, eight 
of whom came down with the disease, which the 
Mexican physicians declared to be yellow fever, in a 
few days. Luciano found but little chance for Gospel 
labor and hastily returned and was prostrated by the 
disease a few days after reaching home. He had 
contracted the disease in San Fernando, and as was 
the case with the other refugees did not communicate 
the disease to others. Yellow fever does not appear 
to be contagious, but gradually extends from place 
to place either by a slow land travel, or may be taken 
in the holds of ships or in closed packs of goods. 
Those who are accustomed to it can readily tell it on 
entering the room, owing to a pecuhar odor arising 
from the patient. There may have been a few spora- 
dic cases originated in the city, and although we had 
steamers touching at Bagdad, our offing 30 miles from 
the city, it was not imported by sea. 

Soon after his recovery, on one occasion as our 
usual night meeting was drawing to a close a man 
expressed a desire to become a member of om^ Society, 
and I was surprised when I learned that he lived at 
Jimenez, about 180 miles south of Matamoros. He 
had however several times attended our meetings 
when in this city. He was a near relative of the only 
family of our members who possessed even a moder- 
ate share of worldly goods, and was himself owner of 
considerable landed property besides his residence in 
that village, and a house and lot in this city adjoining 
the lot purchased for our meeting house. He seemed 
truly converted and zealous in the cause, and has 
labored hard to extend the knowledge of Christ 
among his fellow townsmen. This was the first case 
of receiving a non-resident member to our meeting, 
but he has been quite useful in the work, and is a 
stable Christian. Our Christmas exercises that year 
were well arranged, the valedictory in verse deliv- 
ered by Maria Gonzalez y Cilicea, daughter of our 



Julio Gonzalez Gea. 



lis 



Erieiul Julio Gonzalez Gea, who took an activx' part 
in all our gatborings and aided greatly in stimulatiiig 
the work. Thiirf God was gradually prepaiing new 
laborers for the extcii^jic^n of the work of Christ in 
]\I(?xieo. 




iTZA Hoi'«E, Palenque, Pkiok to the Conquest. 




A Wayside Ranch, ob Country Residence. 



CIIAPTER XVII. 

JouENEY TO Gomez Farias. The work' at Mata- 
MOROS. Birth of S. P. Mascorro. Removal to 
Saj^ Fernando. Return and illness of Angeli- 
ta. Death of their child. 

ijTf|HE winter was an interesting time in our mission, 

I as it was characterized by events which to a 

certain extent exercised a notable influence on 

the whole work. Early in January as I was busy 

in the press room B S of San Fernando 

entered, and t6ld me that I could have a seat in his 
carriage as far as that village. 

He was desirous that I should go to Gromez Farias 
and see his uncle, Father Lozano, whose movement 
was undeniably the first effort to introduce a religious 
reformation into Mexico^ I accepted his offer and we 
started the same evening. 

As illustrating missionary journeys in Mexico, and 
to give an inside View of the character of the villa- 
gers I shall venture to delay the reader to accompany 
me in the imagination in my wanderings. We left 
Matamoros at 4. P. M. on the l-ith, of January 1879. 
I will give the following extracts from my Diary. 

'sTaii. I4tli. AV<' reacluMl a i)araj(% or camping-ground, in 'El 
Llano (le las Guerras,' near tlie oiitict known as 'El Moquete,' to 
wliicJia channel liad been cnt to dniin the lagoon south of Mata- 

115 



116 Teachings of Father Lozano. 

moros. We slept in the carriage, and the mozos seut with us by 
the owner of the carriage slept on the ground. Tlie night was cold, 
but I had brought an extra large shawl and blanket for sleeping 
out when necessary, as in winter we feel the cold as much as the 
natives. ]S^ext morning, the loth, we crossed *E1 Moquete,' and 
proceeded, without any incident of importance, to another camp- 
ing-ground, known as 'El Llano de las Mugeres,' where another 
large freight train of ox-carts camped soon aft(;r we did, the leader 
of which was a well-known bravado. AVe started at half-past three 
o^clock the next morning, so as to let our mules graze on a grassy 
plain by a pond of water. We made cottee as usual, and were 
soon crossing the immense grassy plain known as 'Llano del Te- 
jon.' A herd of prong-horn antelopes gazed at us in wonder and 
finally went skipping off over the plain. ]N^othiug of imi)ortance 
called our notice until noon, when we reached this village, there 
being much uniformity in the scenery, and no noise except the 
nightly howls of the i)acks of prairie wolves in the thickets. 

"We were warmly received by old acquaintances. 1 did not find 
Prudeucio Reyna at home, but was welcomed by his children. 

"17th. Walked down to the river before breakfast, and after 
breakfast went out to the cemetery, which is full of new graves, 
victims of the late pestilence. Most of the females of the village 
are dressed in black for near relatives who have died during the 
epidemic. The cemetery is surrounded by a high limestone Avail, 
sustained by buttresses, which are covered by stone crosses. There 
are many arched vaults built on the outside of the wall, but open- 
ing on the inside. The entrance doorway is adorned with pillars 
and elaborate designs, with an urn over each pillar, and a large 
central stone cross. Over the doorway is the folio v^ing Latin in- 
scription: 

^PULVUS ES ET IN PULVEREM REVERTERES. 
A PRESB. R. LOZANO ANNO MDCCCL.' 

"This is a reminiscence of the evangelical priest, to whose 
liberal views is due much of the progress of the Gospel in this 
portion of Mexico. 

"In the view of that doorway, the iron grating giving me a view 
of scores of 7iew graves, I oi)ened the book written by R. Lozano 
and read these words: 'The goodness and mercy of God shine 
forth in all his words. Death is not a wrathful vengeance of God, 
but a law of nature, as is also life. If in this world that man alone 
is happy who is disposed to forgive injuries, God can not be so in 
heaven with eternal hatred to mankind, and when on earth he 
gave his life for all mankind and prayed for Ids enemies; it is there- 
fore, a real impiety, a positive insult, and a great outrage to his 
goodness, to believe that all is wrath, vengeance and i)unishment 
to man. God had made of our life a. proof j not a punishment, and 



Incidents at San Fernando. 117 

this proof consists in the combat betw eeii good and evil i)assioiis, 
between matter and spirit, and only thns was it possible to place 
the liberty of man and let him choose between good and evil.' 

^'It was natural to reflect, where aie t»hose who have so recently 
left this world, and what will their future be? I looked in the book 
before me and find that not a Avord has Lozano given about the 
resurrection and final judgment, except in the language of the 
Bible. He quotes Matthew xxv; Mark xiii; Luke xxi^ John v; Acts 
Xvii, and Corinthians xv; also II Thessalonians ii; closing with the 
words of Paul in Romans xiv: ^If Christ died and rose again, it is 
because he is to be judge of the living and of the dead.' Like our 
early friend, Daniel Phillips, in his 'Proteus Redivivus,' he seemed 
to think best to state Scripture truths in Scripture language. 

After giving two quarto images of texts in regard to the final 
judgment, and eternal rewards and punishments, he ventures the 
following expressions about eternal fire: 'This devouring fire, un- 
extinguishable fire, eternal fire, outer darkness, this place of rep- 
robates, this gnashing of teeth, which is spoken of in the prece> 
ding texts, is what the Evangelical priest and Mexican Church 
understand by hell — damnation and eternal fire, believing that is 
equivalent to a perpetual separation from the grace and friendship 
t)f God, and the continual remorse caused by said separation.' 

''In the evening I visited the town hall, and was introduced to 
the various authorities -of the village. On returning to the Market, 
I met Marcos Galindo, and had considerable conversation with him 
in regard to the plan of salvation through Christ; several others 
standing by listened with interest. He i)urchased some books in 
our office a few weeks ago, and seems sincerely desirous to know 
Vhat true Christianity is. 

"18th. Cold and dam]3, so I could not venture out much until 
evening, when I went to see Prudencio Reyna, and had a most 
interesting time with his family. Later a soUlier, who had called 
on me in the moridng returned and asked for some books. He had 
"^ Bible, and was acquainted with A. J. Parks, former missionary 
atCadereita, to whose preaching he has listened. Through him the 
tracts wei-e read by quite a number of the soldiers. Afterwards I 
4inswered a number of questions from inqidring persons, and had 
ample oportunity to declare the gospel to about a dozen who were 
present. 

"19th. Sabbath morning, I arose with earnest prayer to God to 
bless the labors of the day. Walked out for solemn waiting upon 
him for guidance. On returning Marcos Galindo came to see me, 
?ind we talked together for over an hour about the pla^i of salva- 
tion and the divine ottices of Jesus Christ. He gave his own experi- 
ence, and seems truly converted to God. He looked over our 
^disciplinary rules and took a cojjy Avith him; he seems ready to 
renounce Ronie and aeeept thf^ Gospel even in the faee of j>ersecu- 



118 Tarriaiice at San Fernando. 

tion. One of the by-stauders was convinced that these teachiug^^ 
were true, and after Marcos left, another came up and listened to 
a more extended conversation with this latter person, so that the 
forenoon was full of rich blessings from on high. 

**At the dinner table several questions were asked, and an ex' 
tended exposition of our work was given in the presence of the 
whole family. I then went to the river to take the sunny air, and 
on returning, a soldier who has been attending Protestant worship 
in Mexico had called for some books. After some conversation, I 
gave him a hymn book, and then went to see Prudencio Reyna, 
where I had a very edifying time with his family, lleturning to 
supper, the soldier brought one of his comi)anions to see me, and 
after leaving this latter returned with another companion, bought 
a Bible, and accepted several tracts. The soldier who came first 
now returned, and received a Testament^ which I loaned to him, 
and gave him some copies of 'El Kamo de Olivo.' The owner of a 
neighboring ranch came to get books for a school on his ranch, 
and received several evangelical tracts. Thus closed a day of most 
constant opportunity to invite wanderers to Chiist, the only hope 
of salvation. 

"20th. This morning I have been very busy writting letters and 
getting passports for some things I am sending to Matamoros, and 
arranging to start to-morrow for Jimenez. I learn that some efibrt 
has been made to try to hinder our opening a i^lace of worship 
here by some bigoted liomanists, who have intiuence with the 
authorities. 

''Before bidding farewell to San Fernando, in my outward . 
journey, I must not omit two visits made to the house of my kind 
host, and both partially on my account, and both from influential 
women of the town; one from Adelaida — de Lozano, wife of the 
second magistri^te of the Supreme Ooitrt, Avas a pleasiint one. Slie 
brought with her two ()r]_)han children they have adopted, and 
was very sociable, and evidently of a pious disposition. I was in- 
formed that when in Victoria, with her husband,, she attended 
mass a few times, but said to several intimate friends that the 
treasure she most x^rized in religious matters is a I^ew Testament 
she has for her constant use at home. She reereived me kindly, and 
talked freel}^ upon all social and religimis toi)i^s. 

" The other visit was as opposite as could be well imagineeL 
Tlie work of the few days I had spent there, and the warm wel- 
come giving me by several influential residents, had not failed to 
alarm the extreme Roman element, whose chief representative there 
was a French lady, teacher of the girls' school, who, in violation of 
the laws, was teaching 'Ripalda's Catechism' and 'French Ele- 
ments' in the public primary school. Sui>posing that I intended 
at once arranging for permanent mission work, she came around 
to see my host, to expostulate with him for bringing to town a 



Journey to Gdme:^ Farias. 119 

heretic J more to be dreaded than the yellow fever, whose victims 
tilled the cemetery. 

"I had been told that neither Spanish uor French females can 
<*.xtemp(nize discourse but. 1 confess that I Jiever heard a more en- 
ergetic ditcourse from a female orator in my native land." 

Tlie results were soon apparent for my host was 
ordered out of liis house for havmg brought a heretic 
to town, and even when the owners were assured 
that I was to leave on the folio whig morning he was 
only permitted to remain in the house by paying 
double the former rate of rent. 

The following description of a night by the way- 
side may serve to illustrate the pleasures of camping 
out in Mexico. 

•'The lofty peaks of the Sierra Madre, risin,g far -iil)ove "^he 
TOUgh summits of the Sierra de Han Carlos, lent a bold and 
pleasing asi)ect to the western horizon. The ground was every- 
where rough aud rocky. ^ and our horses began to weary as we 
reached the table-hmd, and could see the loltier trees which rose 
in the distance, denoting the .site of a large stock ranch called 'El 
Enciual,' which we reached just before dark. ^ ^ ^ ^ Our saddle 
blaidiets of Sisal grass were spread upon the ground, and as I 
had broU;glit shawls and a l^.annel blanket, I rested quite comfort- 
ably, and being weary with a ride of 54 miles, and unaccustomed 
to the saddle, I slei)t very soon after dark. I awoke at 3 A. m. and 
my guide being chilly, built a lire, whilst I walked away from the 
firelight to take a view of the starry heavens: We were in the 
centre of a vast table-land fully 1000 feet above tfie sea level; 
which giive us a better field for observation thaii I had anticipated, 
and not a cloud interrupted the view of th^e calm starlio^ht of th€ 
^^outhern heavens. E\^ry thought of fatigue \\^as lost in a moment 
^s, resting its base on the plain the southern cross stood bold and 
brilliant before me. I seemed to imbibe for a moment that entlm- 
'Siasm whick must have tilled the heart of Vasco de Ga^ma, and 
his companions, as their eyes rested for tli^ first time ui^on so 
bright a modeled' what they held in such high veneration. Other 
;groups of stars, which I now beheid for the first time, levealed to 
me what I had so long desired to see, the brightest gems of the 
-southern heavens. I had never in my x^revious visits to the Tropic 
of Cancer been able to see, and iiediaps I should not on this 
occasion had I not slept upon the ground. The periK^ndicular 
position of the Cross at the time I first saw it was the most 
favorable that could be d-esired, and my pious guid(» called mj 
^attention to it with a leeling bordering on adoration.^' 



120 A Missionary in the Saddle^ 

Passing onward through Jimenez, where I found 
some who had hisen readers of '*E1 Ramo de Ohvo," 
and thenee to the Ranch of San Matigis, residence of 
our Fi-iend Ignacio Bolado^ whose wife was &till a 
Roman Cathohe although she received us kindly and 
seemed willing to listen to the religious conversations 
which I had with her husband, the first step toward 
her conversion^ which took place about two years- 
after wards, 

Ignacio veiy kindly secured me a guide and loaned 
me a horse and saddle, and from thence I crossed 
the Tamaulipa Oriental,, at times passing one or two 
days without seeing human habitations, when I en- 
tered the more tropical i-egion which was clearly 
noticeable on i*eaehing Llera. 

• The road which, we had traversed since leaving 
Jimenez was^ through a region abounding in Jaguars- 
and pumas, as well as the ocelot, or leopard cat, and 
the tiger cat. The puma is very destructive to herds,, 
being especially fond of colts. The parrots abound 
wherever there are streamlets. 

We were kindly entertained at Llera by Pragedis- 
Balboa, a very liberal minded man who conversed 
verv freelv on reliorious matters and who has ever 
been kind to our missionaries when passing through 
the villaoe. 

Passing onward from Llera we began ascending 
the Sierra Madre chain amid a well-watered but 
precipitous region, and had to descend the mountains' 
by zigzag paths ^ so steep that I dared not traverse 
them on horseback. 

After sleeping all night among the clouds on one 
of the elevated table lands, we descended to a river 
valley vvdiere giant thorny reeds made our pathway 
perilous. Soon after crossing the stream over a rough- 
bed of loose stones as large as jmnipkins^we entered, 
a dense tropical forest where giant trees bound 
together with vines and filled with parrots and other 



Journey through Tainaulipas. 121 

tropical birds formed a rough and picturesque passage 
between grotesque and precijjitous mountains with 
projecting rocky ledges on either hand of the narrow 
valley, which led us after a journey of about seven 
miles from the ford, to the beautiful tropical village 
of Gomez Farias. Here we hoped to find one of our 
members whose wife was also an attonder of our 
meetings, and who had recently removed here from 
Matamoros. We hoped to be refreshed by their com- 
pany ere going to visit Father Lozano, which had 
been the principal object of my visit to this remote 
mountain callage. 

Pablo Ibarra was of native origin and his wife had 
been born in this village. He had joined our Society 
whilst residing in Matamoros, where he was occupied 
as a water carrier. He had returned to this village 
and was servant of the presiding officer of the town, 
and it seems that like the little captive girl in the 
house of Naaman the Syrian, he had told his master 
so much about our work that he was desirous of 
seeing me, and was ready to do all in his power to 
enable me to gain access to the people. 

Another object of my journey was to learn the 
fate of our colporteur who had left Matamoros some 
months previously and who was last heard from at 
Victoria, but had gone forw^ardin the direction of 
Tula and Santa Barbara, and who we feared might 
have either suffered at the hands of his enemies or 
have succumbed to disease. He had accompanied 
Luciano Mascorro on his visit to San Fernando and 
had thus been exposed to the epidemic fevet' which 
had spread alarm in all parts of Tainaulipas. I had 
intended to go forward as far as Antiguo Morelos in 
search of him, as he formerly resided there. 

The wild beauty of the tropical forest was not 
more agreeable than the the scenery where the hand 
of man had subdued nature, and banana orchards^ 
coffee trees and pine-apple gardens greeted the eye. 



122 First Meeting at Crdmez Farias* 

''I began iiiqiiiiiiig for our friend Pablo Ibarra, and on reaching 
the door his wife ran out to receive me, overjoyed at so unex- 
pected a visit. I supposed that her husband was inside, and 
entered hastily to salute him, but what was my surprise as on 
turning around the door I saw our colporteur, Oalixto Lara, with 
a, large sui^ply of books and tracts. Alfter a genuine Si^anish hug 
I asl^ed him how he kiiew that I was coining, to which he replied 
that he had not even thought such an event possible. Impressed 
with a belief that in this village he would be able to sell books 
enough to pay $2, which he Avas owing in Santa Barbara for his 
horse; and that he would even have an opportunity to preach 
to the people, he had left the latter village two days before, 
and but for my late start from Llera, both of us would have 
reached the same house at the same hour for the same purj^ose. 
He was putting on his coat to go ^nd see Father Lozano, but we 
must now wait for dinner. A boy ran hastily to the. sugar mill 
to call Don Pablo, who was <is overjoyed as any of us. Whilst 
dinner was preparing his wife spoke to him in a low whisper, and 
he grasped his cleaving knife and started out the back door, 
returning in a fcAv moments with a large cluster of bananas." 

''After dinner Pablo went with us to the ranch known as 'La 
Chinaca,' residence of Father Lozano, about a mile and a half from 
town. The descent was rough, and when it rains is very slippery, 

"After passing through a held of sugarcane we came in sight 
of the house, a long reed structure witli a palm leaf roof, as are 
all the houses in Gomez Farias. Father Lozano was dressed' in the 
usual style of a city lawyer, his clothes the worse for the wear, 
probably those he wore when mentor of the State Congress as 
our legislature is called. He received us with warm-hearted kincL 
ness and Christian affability. He is extremely sociable, humble in 
his assertions, and charitable even to his enemies. He has the 
true spirit of nature's nobleman, as some one has called the agri^ 
cultor, and says that food raised by the sweat of the brow is much 
sweeter than when purchased with money." 

"February 2d, 1879. This was the most remarkable day in my 
missionary labor in this land. The morning was slightly uncom^ 
fortable, but as soon as breakfast was served our colporteur and 
Pablo Ibarra were passing about town arranging for a public 
meeting. The only place well seated was the old*Catholic Mission 
Chapel, now used for the public school, and permission was readily 
granted for its use. At 3 p, m. a company of about 160 persons, 
including nearly all the principal residents, and a fair proportion 
of females had gathered in the chapel. Calixto Lara briefly stated 
the object of our mission. I followed in prayer, and then read some 
verses of John iv: following with an exposition of the same. The 
audience was greatly moved by the clear and simple teaehing of 
the Gospel, so that very many shed tears and came forward at the 
close to express their satisfaction with o- ; visit to their village." 



First San Fernmido Mission. 123 

Ere I returned to Matamoros, Angelita had 
given birth to a son, whom they had named Samuel 
Purdie Mascorro, and of whose future service m the 
cause of Christ the joyful parents entertained fond 
hopes. A month later they removed to San Fernan- 
do, hoping to open mission work there, but met with 
the most decided opposition. On writing a petition 
to the Mayor to register a place of worsliip, Luciano 
was fined $20, for not using stamped paper, a requi- 
site of which he was ignorant, and this proceeding 
was without precedent and probably illegal. Against 
the will of an ignorant and obstinate Mayor there 
was no immediate remedy, their object was to have 
him imprisoned for inability to pay the fine, and they 
boasted that they would have him sweep the streets. 
Two of his acquaintances paid the fine, but no atten- 
tion was given to the subject when brought again 
before the Council, and even the recommendation 
of the Commanding Greneral at Matamoros, brother 
of the Mayor, was useless in tiying to get this officer 
to permit the opening of Protestant worship there. 

These were severe trials to the young mother, who 
feared the consequences of her husband's aiTest. On 
regaining his liberty he came to Matamoros to try an 
appeal to the Groveraor, and as Angelita was suffer- 
ing from pain in the breast, she came to get medical 
advice. The severity of the journey aggravated her 
disease, and when she reached our house she was 
removed from the carriage to a bed where she lay for 
some weeks in the most intense suffering. All hope 
of her recoveiy seemed to vanish several times, and 
it was not until the 10th of June, that she was able 
to sit up a pai^t of the time. It had been necessary to 
wean the child, which was a severe stroke to it and 
on the day Angelita arose from the bed it was attacked 
with brain fever and after lingering a few days it died. 

This was a severe blow to the young parents but 
was met with Christian resignation. 



"'^^" ' "'"^1 







1 nil 'i ' T- 



CHAPTEll XVIII. 

Interest in the (xospel at Farias. Missionary 
JOURNEY OF Luciano Mascorro through Tamau- 
LiPAS. Return in company with Calixto Lara, 

Hindrances to the permanent occupation of 
Gomez Farias. Appeal from Yucatan. 

-m^FTER my return from Gromez Farias a few montlis 
III elapsed before any news was received from that 
|l^ point as to the feehng of the people toward the 
^ Gospel work. Copies of ''El Ramo de01ivo"were 
sent to several of those who had attended the meeting 
held there during my visit and these leaflets were 
fanning into a flame the desire to hear the preaching 
of the Gospel manifested by those villagers. The 
distance however seemed for a time to hinder any 
effort to establish a mission there, and had v/e 
received no further solicitations we might have 
desisted from further efforts. 

A few months after my arrival at home I received 
a letter from the teacher of the public school, Fran- 
cisco Zamora, requesting further information about 
our religious tenets and manifesting a desire to help 
in the work. This resulted in further correspondence 
and it w^as deemed prudent for Luciano to traverse 
the whole state and determine at what point it 
would seem desirable to locate a permanent work. 

At that time, with the exception of Tampico, no 
point south of Matamoros hacl a resident missionary, 
and it was a matter of great importance to attempt a 
wider distribution of the evangelical laborers, and 
this visit was largel}^ beneficial in this direction, 

125 



126 Lticiano^s 3Iissionary Tour. 

. He left Matamoros on horseback and alone, and on 
the second night of his journey met a company whose 
leader seemed to take an interest in the Grospel and to 
whom he preached the word, and having supplied them 
with tracts pursued his j ourney . This interview by the 
wayside led to the conversion of a whole family at a 
ranch called El Encinal, and where a Presbyterian 
missionary preaches regularly, though the people 
would have- preferred to have us organize the work 
there. This man has named one of his sons Esteban 
Orellet Grarcia, in honor of Stephen Grellet the 
Erench Quaker evangelist. 

Luciano stopped a few days in San Fernando and 
then pursued his journey, stopping for evangehcal 
labor at El Encinal, where he was hospitably enter- 
tained by his wayside convert, and thence to Jimenez 
where he was instrumental in strengthening the 
faith of Ignacio Bolado, and in removing iu some 
measure the prejudices which his wife had imbibed 
against the Protestant religion. 

Pursuing his journey he found some access to the 
people at Padilla and Griiemez and delayed a week 
at Victoria, in order to ascertain what openings there 
might be for mission work in that city, and then 
hastened forward to Gomez Farias, entering through 
the same gorgeous scenery of the Pen on pass, which 
I had entered nine months previously. 

He found the people rejoiced at his arrival, and in 
Francisco Zamora he found an earnest convert and 
a ready coadjutor, whilst many of those who had 
listened to me, gladlj^ met to hear him. 

Luciauo remained live weeks in this beautiful 
mountain village, being joined providentally by oin- 
colporteur Calixto Lara. Meetings were held twice 
each week and the quiet influence of social religious 
labor was very beneticial in estabhshing the converts. 
After this tarriance^ news of revolu^tionary movements 



Appeal frmn Yucatan. 127 

led tliem to return hastily to Matamoros, where they 
arrived about the end of October. 

One Sabbath evening as the assembled worshippers 
were gathered at religious service at 49 Calle de Bravo, 
Luciano and Calixto entered unexpectedly, and the 
former gave a detailed narrative of his religious 
labors during an absence of nearly three months. 

About this time an urgent appeal was received 
from Merida in Yucatan, requesting us to establish 
a mission in that peninsula, and whilst the opening 
among such a dense population might seem especially 
desiniblo, and all the more so because the appeal 
was entirely unsolicited, and the tirm belief of the 
solicitors that a Friends' Mission was particularly 
adapted to their needs, yet the crowd of work atten- 
dant upon building a place of worship in Matamoros, 
and the continu.ed ill health of Angelita seemed to 
prevent our accepting for the time being the vast 
opening in Yucatan, or even to fill the urgent need 
of a permanent pastor over the iiock at Gromez Farias. 
A supply of books was sent to Merida, and our 
school books were introduced into some of the 
schools in that city, where the most unyielding fa- 
naticism lias no barrier but the most outspoken and 
scoffing infidelity, of the Bob IngersoU type. 

Yucatan differs from most of the other Mexican 
states in being the theatre of a war of races. In most 
parts of Mexico the wise plans of the Spanish 
viceroys had been instrumental in domesticating and 
civilizing the np^tive races, and the absence of 
prejudice of race or color had led to an amalgama- 
tion of races and thus a unity of interest and 
relationship had bound the people together as one. 
In the peninsula of Yucatan it was otherwise. There 
was a bold, warlike and numerous tribe, called the 
Lacandoner>, who dwelt among the dense forests of 
the intf^rior, and who seemed to haAT no desire to come 
to terms with the conquerors. They then believed, 







3 
< 



ao 












cu 


h^ 


^-T^ 


^ 




^ 


."^ 


\-/ 


iNX 


rv^ 


'y^ 


05 


r— 1 








►-i 




t^ 


i^ 


"o 


^ 


H-i 


♦=* 


1—^ 


<< 


-;j^ 


i-j^ 


r»-( 


O 


r^ 


H-* 


c: 


^ 


o 


o 


,^^ 


u^ 


3> 


v-^ 


—^ 


2 


»- -^ 


i-^ 


« 




5 


o 


<^ 


>-- 
<1 




o^ 


r-~" 


o 


< 




%^ 


r -^ 






r^ 


'n^ 




m 






H 


P^ 






o 




h^ 


K 




O 


t: 




H^ 






1— ( 






<1 






H 






H 






ft 







The Itza Civilization. 129 

and do even now, that it is possible to drive the 
Europeans from America and blot out Christianity, 
so as to restore the worship of Balaan Votan. 

Indeed it seems probable that they had already 
blotted out a preceding civilization ere the Spanish 
conquerors landed upon their arid soil. Strange ruins 
abound in many places, which some antiquarians 
suppose to be those of Itzalana, ruined by these 
barbarian hordes not long before the conquest, whilst 
others would have them as .old as the pyramids of 
Egypt or even older. Whatever be the date, it is 
evident that in the architectural details, and 
especially in sculpture they were far ahead of either 
the Aztecs or the Incas, and not far behind the 
Egyptians, We shall probably never have an authentic 
history of their greatness, nor a correct idea of their 
fall. 

Whether that civilization was overthrown by the 
Lacandones or not, one thing is certain, that the 
existing civilization has more than once been in 
imminent peril, and they have made the stronghold 
of Merida tremble at their approach. The frontier 
towns are often surprised at the dead of night by an 
attack from these sons of the forest, and the firing 
of rockets from the municipal building soon gathers 
the people to defend their homes from the wild men 
of the desert. Supplying themselves with arms and 
ammunition from the British trading posts iu Balize 
they are more formidable than the Sioux of our 
northern frontier, whilst they at times become allies 
of the frontier towns of Vera Paz in Guatemala, 
which is the Republic of Central America which has 
the strongest antipathies against the Mexican 
government. 

The thinking men of Merida, and especially some 
of her literary leaders having heard of the noble work 
of the Society of Friends in conciliating the Indians 
of North America, not only in the settlement of 

J 



ISO Peace Principles Appreciated. 

Pennsylvania, but on the frontier during the 
administration of President Grant, were hoping that 
some such affort would be made in Yucatan. 

We did not think best to send Luciano to Yuca- 
tan, and no foreign laborer was ready to enter that 
.field, and as yet no Protestant mission is organized 
there, and the wild men of Chan Santa Cruz are still 
the dread of the frontier settlers of Yucatan and 
Campeachy. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

Building of Friends' Mission Chapel. Continued 

ILL HEALTH OF AnGELITA. OpENING OF THE NEW 
PLACE OF WORSHIP. REMOVAL TO GrOMEZ FaRIAS. 

HE fall of 1879 was a memorable one in the 
history of the Friends' Mexican Mission because 
the building of a place of worship on one of the 
public squares changed greatly the sphere of 
action of the mission. A lot had been purchased a 
year previous on Plaza de la Libertad, and after 
many unexpected delays the work was begun in 
November of that year. 

All our work was then removed to that square, 
and as nearly all our members resided in that vicinity 
the attendence became more regular than before. 

Yet very many who saw those preparations, and 
who had desired to see the building completed, were 
to be laid away in their graves ere ,it was finished 
and opened for public worship. 

The aged Petra Grarcia de Mendez who had so 
often come to meeting reclining on a staff, bent 
with over ninety years of toil, was taken suddenly 
ill, and after lingering several days died in perfect 
trust and hope of salvation. The night before her 
death, after Luciano had read the Scriptures and 
prayed with her, Angelita began singing that 
beautiful hymn: — '^Oh Sing to me of Heaven,"— and 

131 



132 Incidents of 3Iission Work. 

the d^dng Christian joined her voice, weak indeed, 
but joyful, in singing of that land of unalloyed rest 
for the weary, where she had so earnestly desked to 
obtain an entrance thi'ough Chi^st her Savior. 

The following day speech failed her but her face 
beamed with hope, and she gently passed away. Her 
real age was not known, though she had seen Mata- 
moros gTow from an insignificant ranch to a populous 
city. In evidence before the couii: she testified that 
in 1811, when the first war of Independence broke out, 
she was married and mother of three childi^en; and 
thus she must have seen the scorching heat of well 
nigh a hundred summers. We had feared that so 
aged a convert would in second child-hood return 
to Romanism, but her death and that of an aged man 
about the same time showed the keeping power of 
Jesus even to those converted in the dechne of life. 

The next to follow was Patricia Arriaga de Cardo- 
na, a woman of dark Indian cast and in the meridian 
of life. Her husband had joined us some time before 
her conversion and had been quite useful in di^awing 
others to attend our meeting, but had now fallen into 
sin, and had been disowned for adulter}^ 

This resulted in theii^ separation and the division of 
their children, and the heart-broken mother had to 
struggle for a living. Lung disease had set in and she 
was nearing the grave. One evening they sent for me 
but I was absent as was also Luciano, and on reaching 
home I hastened to the place, Angelita was there and 
had just read a selection from the Scriptui^es and had 
knelt in prayer. The woman's husband had come in 
bitter penitence and asked her forgiveness and was 
holding her emaciated form in his arms. She said that 
her oT^m peace with Grod had been clouded, but she had 
sought forgiveness and could now rest on the promises 
of her Sa^i-or. Some of those sweet h^mms so consohng 
to the d}T.ng believer were sung as she gently passed 
away, a sinner saved by gTace, thi'ough faith in Christ. 



Death of Useftil Members. 133 

Ceeilio Chavez had long been a faithful elder in the 
service of the church and we had hoped he would long 
remain to cheer and aid us. Lung disease now hastily 
called him away. In his last walk he saw the trench 
dug for the foundation of the building, but a severe 
norther had aggravated the disease and he died sud- 
denly yet trusting in Christ his Redeemer. One child 
had preceded him and another followed in a few weeks. 

Julian Mireles had been convinced of the errors of 
Romanism by reading the Bible, one of the earliest 
circulated here, which came into his possession eight- 
een years before our arrival. It was issued by the 
American Bible Society though of Scio's version, from 
the Vulgate, without notes, so that he was one of the 
first fruits of Bible colportage in this country. He had 
been an elder several times in our Mission Church, 
elders being appointed at first every six months; and 
hoped to see the Mission Chapel opened for public 
worship. He was also smitten with the terrible disease 
which is so fatal in this severe climate, and the last 
time he visited the place the walls had reached the 
level of the windows. The funeral services took place 
in the Cemetery within the city walls, the only time 
I had preached there except at the grave of the little 
infant of Luciano and Angelita, 

Strange as it may seem Angelita lingered along 
with slight fluctuations, through usually able to attend 
meetings. She often prayed that she might be spared 
to see the building completed, and her prayer was 
granted. She was able to be present and notwithstand- 
ing the brisk rain see the building crowded with 
people. The occasion will long be remembered, the 
rejoicing of the members and the earnest preaching 
impressed many hearts, and some who were there for 
the first time out of curiosity, afterwards were added 
to the fold. 

The physicians had used every effort of medical 
Science to save the life of Angelita and they now 



134 Re7}ioval to Gomez Farias. 

considered her case hopeless. A journey to the moun- 
tains offered a shght hope, and as we very anxious to 
gather those who were awakened at Gromez Farias 
during my visit and a year later by a brief tarriance 
there of one month by Luciano Mascorro, they were 
encoui^aged to go to that distant field. Efforts were 
made to make Angelita as comfortable as possible 
duiing the long overland journey, which was to be 
accomplished in an ambulance. 

Never can we forget the beautiful day of her 
departure from this city. A solemn parting meeting 
was held at their residence,- as several members, and 
among them her most intimate bosom friend,^ 
Gulielma, could not accompany her outside the 
city gate. 

Whatever may have been the misgivings of those 
who were present, Angelita had high hopes of a 
recovery and was more cheerful than we had expected,^ 
as she had to bid farewell to her mother, sister and 
brother, whilst to the members who had been brought 
to Christ through her influence she was even more 
tenderly attached. 

Many of these accompanied her outside the city 
walls to the grassy plains where the ambulance was 
waiting for the custom passes to be signed. Of this 
number no one attracted more attention than our' 
Canadian co-laborer, W. A. Walls, who used every 
endeavor to make himself understood by Angehta,- 
who told him that she desired to recover in order to 
work for Christ in the pubhc ministry of the Gospel. 

After a long and interesting parting interview they 
pursued their journey and we returned to our homes, 
earnestly desiring but hardly venturing to hope for 
the fulfilhnent of this sanguine wish of Angelita. 

She suffered considerably from the fatigue insepar- 
able from an overland jouney of three hundred miles,, 
to Victoria, capital of the State of Tamaulipas, wherer 
they spent a few weeks in order to rest and recruit^ 



Victoria of Tamaulipas. 135 

^re proceeding to their final destination at Gromez 
Farias. She was greatly interested by the change of 
scenery, from the dead uniformity of the plains of 
northern Tamaulipas, to the giant folds of the Sierra 
Madre, and her tarriance in the most beautiful city of 
the state was temporarily helpful to her. She was 
cheered by the view of innumerable orange orchards, 
and by the beautiful alameda or park on the outskirts 
of the city, the street leading to which is lined with 
sycamores, which are watered constantly by the 
strongest channels of the irrigating works, which 
distribute the water of the river San Marcos to the 
orange orchards of the city, and the corn and cane- 
fields of the surounding plains. 




VXCXQM^^ 



It is difficult to obtain a view of the city of Victoria, 
as its buildings are hidden by the dense shade of its 
orange groves, but these make it look so green and 
refreshing as to attract the traveller to its bosom, 
whilst the bold outline of the Sierra Madre to the 
westward, with the Sierra of San Carlos to the 
"northward, and a series of isolated hills to the east- 
ward, present a striking contrast to the unvarying 
uniformity of the surroundings of most of the other 
cities of Tamaulipas, The Presbyterian Mission had 



136 Removal to Gomez Farias. 

been but recently established^ but even there they 
found work to do for Christ during their tarriance. 

Arrangements were finally perfected for their jour- 
ney from Victoria to Q-omez Farias, which was to be 
accomplished on horseback, by mule paths leading 
between the folds of the mountains, and with one or 
two pack animals for their baggage. The journey 
proved more fatiguing than they had anticipated as 
it rained constantly and they were often detained by 
flooded streams, having to spend a few days in some 
ranches by the wayside until the streams could be 
crossed. Thus a journey which in good weather could 
be accomplished in less than three days occupied 
nine, and the already dehcate health of Angelita was 
severely tried by the exposure, and the beginning of 
their mission work was interrupted by her cough, thus 
her husband was unable to do much pastoral work 
from the necessity of constant attention at her 
bedside. 

Meetings were kept up every Sabbath in the village 
chapel, which was kindly furnished by the authori- 
ties, who were favorable to the mission, and every 
night a Bible Class was kept up at their house. 
About a month later the behevers were organized 
into a church, by the admission of sixteen members, 
and thus permanent work was organized, the nucleus 
of a now flourishing mission church, among the 
banana groves of Gromez Farias. 

Luciano was kept at home so strictly by the illness 
of AngeUta that we received no news from him for 
several months, there being no post-office in the 
village, and the facihties of communication were 
interrupted by the rainy season in the mountains. 

Our anxiety about them induced us to send 
W. A. Walls to that village to learn their fate. The 
circumstances connected with this wonderful journey , 
and his narrow escape from imminent perils must 
form part of another chapter, as events at Matamo- 



Eveiifs at Mafavioros\ 



137 



ros of great moment to the future of the mission 



must claim our attention, for whilst they were wan- 
dering among the flooded streams of the Sierra 
Madre, the city of Matamoros had been nearly swept 
away by a terrific hurricane and its attendant inun- 
dation, news of which reached our Friends in their 
mountain home and awakened their anxiety about 
the dear ones they had left behind them. 




fdexicaii frliitj. The Pomegraiiate. 




The dai following llie hurricane of 1880'. 



CHAPTER XX. 

SuRKICANE AT MaTAMOROS. SmALL-POX. W. A. WaLLS 

VISITS THE Southern Mission. A narrow escape. 
Flight of Gtulielma. W. A. Walls reyisits the 
Southern Mission. 

^Jj|rNEXPEOTED and thrilling events now crowded 
|j|; upon the mission in such quick succession that 
(Ip our faith, accustomed to sudden and severe 
^ provings, was tried to the uttermost. But a littles 
over a month after the departure of Luciano and 
Angelita for Gomez Farias, and just as the city was 
trembling with anxiety at a threatening inundation, 
one of those terrible Grulf hurricanes, so dreaded 
upon this coast, broke with unrelenting force upon 
the city, spreading desolation and distress upon every 
hand. 

Never can the terrific scenes of that dark night be 
effaced from memory, and although vivid in our 
recollection, how much more so must it have been to 
those houseless amid the maddening fury of the 
storm, clinging to the ruins of their homes, who 
passed the night in the open air^ unprotected from 
the piercing blast. 

The dreadful hurricanes of 1867 aiid 1874 were 
still fresh in the memory of many of the citizens, 
and the ruins they left were still to be seen in many 
parts of the city, and whilst more, damage was done 
to costly edifices in 1867, and that of 1874 lasted 72 
hours, and was therefore more tedious, the hurricane 

139 



140 Hurricane at Matanioros. 

of August 13th, 1880 fell with more force upon the 
working class, and the morning of the 14th, 
dawned upon the ruins of 1615 houses, mostly 
belonging to the poorer class of residents. 

During all day of the 13th, the police force was 
busy in gathering the poor people from those 
shanties which seemed hkely to fall, and some 
buildings near us fell during the afternoon, yet the 
greater part of the destruction took place between 
sundown and midnight, when there was a lull, 
followed by the dreaded south wind. One of oiu' 
members brought his wife, with her new-born child, 
to take refuge in our house, and to- satisfy her as well 
as to ascertain how our neighbors had fared, accom- 
panied by W. A. Walls I made a tour around Liberty 
Square, finding the house of our friend still standing, 
though five buildings on the south side of the square, 
between our own and the store of I. Portilla had been 
blown to pieces, and the fragments distributed 
indiscriminately. The roof of a carriage shop adjoin- 
ing our residence had been blown over our sitting 
room, throwing down some bricks from the parapet 
wall, and then striking our kitchen had thrown down 
about half of the gable, our school building was 
demohshed, and the yard filled with fragments of 
neighboring buildings. During the whole storm both 
myself and Bro. Walls were busily occupied in 
baihng out the water which the wind was forcing 
under our north doors, and threatening us with an 
inundation. It is note- worthy that after having been 
a sufferer from rheumatism for some months, and 
even diu*ing the first part of the storm, I was forced 
to walk about barefoot, and often in several inches of 
water for about nine hours, and suffered no incon- 
venience, nor did the disease reappear. 

One of the most interesting visits during that me- 
morable night was to the residence of our friend and 
fellow-laborer Julio Gonzalez Grea, for on visiting 



Htirricane at Matamoros. 141 

our meeting house which had suffered considerably, 
we passed over the ruins of fences and shanties to 
his house, and seeing a hght inside we knocked. We 
found his children asleep, and the Bible lay open 
upon the table, where during the force of the storm 
he had been reading the Psalms of David and 
engaged in earnest prayer for his fellow-beings. We 
saw him in an hour when all gloss was cast aside, 
but he was relying upon the promises of Grod. We 
never afterwards doubted the sincerity of his faith 
in Christ. 

Many of our members had lost their houses, and 
were suffering for the necessaries of life, and we 
obtained a loan from a merchant to supply their 
wants, which was replaced by donations from Friends 
in the United States and England. However it was 
several weeks ere we had any mail facihties, the 
railroad from Brownsville to the coast was destroyed 
so that vessels could not discharge their freight, and 
we had to do what seemed best and leave the conse- 
quences with our Lord. 

We may here remark that before it was possible 
for us to send either a telegram or a letter to Rich- 
mond, the Secretary of the Foreign Mission Com- 
mittee, Timothy Harrison, had sent all the funds at 
their disposal for immediate use in the emergency. 

Collections were taken among the wealthy to aid 
the poor and as our Mexican telegraph lines were 
not destroyed, the news of our disaster stirred the 
whole republic, and funds were speedily gathered to 
relieve the sufferers. 

Nearly one third of the houses having been de- 
stroyed and one third of the town being still inunda- 
ted, the poor people were lodged in the school and 
municipal buildings as well as in those houses which 
were unoccupied at the time, which were seized by 
the authorities for that purpose. 



112 TV. A. Walls visits Gomez Fariasi. 

The small-pox, which had become a constant 
resident of the suburbs, now broke out with relent- 
less fury in the central part of the city, no rehable 
vaccine matter was to be had, and before our mails 
were re-established so that it could reach us, the 
disease had invaded nearly every ward of the city, 
and more then 500 persons had fallen victims to the 
scourge, among them several of our flock. 

Whilst this dark cloud was gathering over us, our 
anxiety about Luciano and Angelita was daily 
increasing, overland travel was greatly interrupted 
by the inundation, which had flooded the whole 
country and communication by sea with Tampico 
was equally impracticable. 

It was however decided that W. A. Walls should 
make the attempt to reach them and it was not until 
after his ticket was purchased by the coast hne of 
Steamers that we found that no carriage driver would 
attempt the journey. We flnally engaged a cartman 
who left the city at 10 P. M. became bogged in ihe 
lagoon and after swimming about for hours in search 
of a practicable route across the lagoon, reached our 
house in his defeat at 4 on the following morning. 

Friend Walls ate breakfast and retired to rest 
after his exposure during the night, when our ener- 
getic^book agent, Antonio Ramirez had two cartmen 
with three strong mules ready to take the risk of 
placing our friend in a certainty of reaching Bagdad. 

They reached at last a lagoon flve miles across, 
into which they drove until our friends were stand- 
ing up to their knees in water, the cart wheels being 
entirely submerged and it was evident that they could 
go no further. Fortunately they saw a boat which 
was repairing the telegraph line across the lagoon, to 
which they made signals of distress and our Friend 
was taken on board and on their return for the 
night he was taken to Bagdad. The steamer arrived 
next day, but a norther was blowing so that she 



148 Angelita's tvork at G6mez Farias. 

could not communicate with the shore, thus Friend 
Walls was obliged to return, which he did in compa- 
ny with some military officers, having to help row 
the boat against the current of the lagoon for about 
ten miles. On landing he hked a horse for his return 
journey, and apian to rob him appears to have been 
frustrated by his meeting Antonio Ramirez, whom we 
had sent for him, ere his pursuers had overtaken him. 

This unfortunate journey from Matamoros to Bag- 
dad and return, a total of about sixty miles travel, 
had cost us $40. at a time when money was scarce, 
and for a few hours we thought any further effort- 
undesirable. 

However we learned that a cart from Victoria was 
to return empty, and it seemed possible for them to 
conduct him safely thus far, and a Presbyterian 
Mission having been established there we could have 
him safely acompanied to Gromez Farias. They 
offered him a passage for twelve dollars, which was 
accepted, and finaly we decided to send Manuel 
brother of Angelita, not only to cheer her, but to 
save him from the epidemic. 

They reached their destination safely in about two 
weeks, and found Angelita alone, as Luciano had 
come to Victoria to mail letters, by another route, 
and did not reach home for a day or two after our 
Friend's arrival. However a Bible Class was kept up 
by Angehta in his absence, thought she was confined 
to her bed most of the time, and was evidently nearing 
the grave, she had however been actively engaged in 
persuading the people to abandon the worship of 
stocks and stones, and worship Grod in spirit and in 
truth. Writing at this timefor "El Ramo de Ohvo" she 
gives the following account of the benighted condition 
of the people among whom she was laboring, and 
whom she was striving to lead to Christ. 

'^Last year, in what are called the holy days, (or Lent,) notice 
Av^as spread abroad that in one of the ranches near this village a 



144 Worshij) of the Virgin 3Iary. 

Yirgin liad appeared in the sliade of a green lemon tree, tliat 
God, beholding the wickedness of men, (said the i^recursor of the 
Yirgin, a girl of fifteen summers,) had sent that image to let the 
Tvorld know that if the peox)le did not do i)enance, God would 
make an end of mankind. So soon as this notice spread among 
the ranches, the females of this and other villages gathered in 
gTeat numbers to adore the Yirgin, and from a certain distance 
they walked on their knees with lighted candles in their hands to 
the trunk of the lemon tree, where they beheld a small round 
stone surrounded by artificial floAvers, which the ignorance and 
fanaticism of the peoi)le had converted into an image of the 
Yirgin of Guadalupe, although in reality it was nothing more 
than one of the many beautiful stones to be found in the bed of 
our streams, adorned by seams of varied color. 

"Xot women alone, on this occasion, but also men noted in these 
Ijarts for their learning, reverently approached the lemon tree on 
their knees to worshii> the image, repeated their praj'ers and sang 
hymns to the Yirgin. Xo true picture of the Yirgin was to be 
seen, even when these pious people looked earnestly and wii3ing 
their eyes looked again. Although some declared that they saw 
it, the greater part went away as they came, having seen no more 
than a stone rounded by the action of water in a mountain 
stream, 'Your many sins prevent your seeing it,' said a man 
whose fanaticism made him see the invisible, to a man of con- 
siderable intelligence who had failed to see the likeness. 'It may 
be so,' replied the man weeping with hopelessness for his many 
sins. The i3enitent went back to the starting i^oint and again 
upon his knees traversed the penitential space and reverently 
bowed and worshipped the stone, and then looking closely failed 
to perceive the likeness, and returned again, hoping that the shari) 
stones which were cutting his knees would make God merciful to 
the penitent sinner, when all pain would be forgotten in the joy 
of beholding face to face the immaculate Yirgin. But all his tears 
were in vain. 

''Oh church of Eome! why dost thou call thyself the church of 
Christ, whilst teaching a way of salvation which he taught not? 
Why dost thou not teach that Jesus of Il^azareth is the VVay, the 
Truth and the Life, and that whosoever believeth in him hath 
pardon and salvation? 

"But to return to my narrative. The pain caused by his wounds 
induced our penitent to return home and apply a remedy. His 
wife asked him what he kncAV about the Yirgin, and he replied 
that it was a fable invented to deceive the credulous, and that 
notwithstanding having skinned his knees he had seen nothing. 

" 'You had better not be too hasty," replied his wife, but ere 
many weeks the greater part of the people became convinced 
that it was simi)ly a stone which the hand of man had placed in 
the fork of the lemon tree. 



Narroiv Escape from Robbers. 145 

"I canuot tell all which has been told me about this Virgin 
but in it we have another proof of what Christ in the Gospel tells 
us: — 'That the peoi)le loved darkness rather than Light.' 

^'I said at first that I intended to tell you about the work of the 
Lord in these parts, and you will be my companions in rejoicing 
that some of our countrymen are receiving the Gosj)el, or at least 
here they listen joyfully to the Word of God. I may say again 
that my soul is full of pleasure and rejoicing, as well as of grati- 
tude to God, when I see many women who formerly believed in 
the worship of saints, and some of whom went to see the Virgin 
in the lemon tree, Avho now truly believe in Jesus Christ and his 
doctrine; and are ready to confess these before men; joining our 
church in Gomez Farias, and many more who constantly attend 
the meetings and listen reverently to the preaching of the Word. 

'^I can say the same of many men who are interested in the 
cause of Christ, and exhort their relatives and friends to search 
the Holy Scriptures, as the only fountain of divinely inspired 
teachings; and some of these are members and many more are 
believers in Christ. 

''But whilst I rejoice for those sisters who have departed from 
error, believing in the only jierfect Savior, and true Refuge of 
sinners, Christ Jesus, my heart is filled with mourning to see so 
many who persist in rebellion against God, worshipping, not 
our Kedeemer, but dumb idols which are offensive to him, and 
which can l>e of no service to them in the final hour of life. But 
we must pray for such, and ask God to give them light and grace 
to know him of a truth. 

"Lastly, dear sisters, I salute you with an embrace of love in 
Christ, asking God to bless you and fill you with his Spirit, that 
you may walk in the path which he has pointed out in his Gospel, 
in order that you may be prepared for the parting hour. 

"As ever, you sister in the faith of Christ our Savior. 

Angela Jfguilaji de PRascormo. 

Villa dc Llera, January ist, 1881." 

Our friend W. A. Walls returned to Matamoros, 
hastily and alone, to consult about the work, and 
when only about thirty miles from the city was 
surrounded by three highway robbers who endeavored 
to induce him to leave the main road and take a by 
path where they could carry out their design. A 
presentiment of danger induced him to refuse to 
accompany them and after threatening his life, and 
thereby receiving a strong lesson from his readiness 
to die if that were the Lord's will, they left him after 

K 



146 Narrotv Escape of W. A. Walls. 

receiving from him half a dollar, although he told 
them that he had more, but needed it for his journey. 
It was very late one dark night about the middle of 
November that a loud call at our door summoned me 
from my studies, and recognizing the voice of Bro. 
Walls, I hastened to the door, when he said as 
I opened it, ''Behold a certain man going from 
Jerusalem to Jehrico fell among thieves." 

I did not ask an explanation but hastened to the 
yard to open the gate to admit his horse, and on dis- 
mounting he jovially said that he had a bag of oranges 
for GruUelma. I replied that she was in North Carolina, 
to which he paid no attention, and it was not until 
he had entered the house, and found me alone, that 
each became convinced that what had seemed joking 
was sober reaUty. 

The giant strides of the epidemic and the impossi- 
bility of vaccination, as well as the constant danger 
of the contagion, since persons covered with the raw 
sores came daily to our doors to ask for some aid, or 
to fulfil some errand, put our only child, a boy of six 
weeks so constantly in danger, that Grulielma, with 
a mother's solicitude, determined to hasten her pro- 
posed visit to her parents, after an absence of ten 
years, and had already reached her destination. 

At first we thought best for Bro. Walls to fill my 
place, to allow me to join my wife in her visit, but it 
was finally determined that he should return to the 
Southern Mission in company with Francisco Pena, 
who had recently begun preaching the Gospel, whilst 
it seemed advisable for Luciano and Angelita to 
retire to Llera where the houses were jbetter adapted 
to her comfort during the winter season so that early 
in December our friends were again traversing the 
state, and Bros. Walls and Peiia were ministering to 
the church at Farias, and Luciano and Angelita were 
gathering a congregation in Llera. 



Conversion of an Aged Mexican. 147 

Whilst Angelita lived in Farias, she stayed at the 
house of Antonia Rosas, whose father while person- 
ally friendly to her, was very much opposed to her 
religion. 

He was a little deaf and used his deafness as a 
shield, always becoming quite unable to hear so soon 
as the subject of personal salvation was introduced. 
He slept in the kitchen in order not to be present at 
family prayer, a custom which he continued whilst 
Francisco Peiia and W. A. Walls lived in the house. 
When the latter commenced teaching his grand- 
children, the old man who was intelligent, although 
uneducated, was very anxious that the children should 
make progress in their studies, and to encourage 
them he listened to their accounts of what they had 
learned during the day. He thus heard many texts of 
Scripture, and as afterwards appeared learned several 
hymns by heart. During all these years since Ange- 
lita' s visit, prayer was continually offered for his 
conversion. Bro. Gonzalez was surprised to learn that 
old Andrew had sent for him, and on reaching the 
house he was met with the inquiry; — "What must I 
do to be saved." He explained to him the work of 
Christ as our Savior. The aged penitent said; — '*I 
know that is so,'' and repeated several conclusive 
texts which he had learned from the children. 

He lived about six months after his conversion. 
When he accepted Christ, he did so so fully that he 
never asked for the images of saints, the crosses and 
medals in which he formerly trusted, and was very 
thankful to be saved from dying in idolatry. 

Ere closing this chapter it may be well to give a 
further insight into the singular experience of Bro.^ 
Walls with the Mexican highwaymen, which we do 
in his own words as published at the time in the 
''Christian Worker" 

We had already warned him of the danger of 
travelling alone and certainly should have protested 



148 Ndrroiv Escape of W. A. Walls. 

most earnestly against it, but his decision was made 
over four hundred miles away and carried out without 
om^ consent. 

''Before reaching Matamoros I got a lesson whicli would have 
con\anced the sturdiest of doubters. On Tuesday started at 3 
o'clock in the morning, partly because the rain made my ebony 
bush an uncomfortable roof, and partly because a seventy mile 
trip lay between my bedroom and Matamoros. About 9 in the 
morning I was overtaken by three horsemen, all on good horses, 
but as we were within sight of a farm they simply passed the 
usual ^Buenos dias, senor,' and rode on to the house. I did not 
like their appearance, but as I had no business at the farm I rode 
quietly past. When about a mile beyond I was again over- 
taken by the same company, and they now jjroposed that we 
should journey to Matamoros together. Consenting to the arrange- 
ment, one of them went immediately in front and the others 
one at each side of my horse. 

''As this order of march was a little suspicious, I turned my 
beast suddenly, so as to be at the side of the road, and saw that 
one of my companions had a pistol in his hand, which he put out 
of sight as quickly as possible, and sui^posed it had escaped 
observation. I now knew the character of my comi)anions, and 
could simply put up a fervent petition to our Father for protec- 
tion. The leader of the company offered to show me a shorter 
road to Matamoros, and proposed that we should leave the high- 
way to find this short cut. When I declined this obliging offer, 
which was intended to draw me into the chapparal, where the 
buzzards would i^robably be the only discoverers of the body, he 
threw off his mask of pretended kindness, and pointing his pistol 
at my head, threatened me with instant death if I did not follow 
the foremost of the comj^any. As it seemed like leaving the path 
of duty, I refused to leave the only place in which I had a right 
to expect God's protection. The front man now seized my horse's 
halter and attempted to lead him away from the road. I at once 
dismounted and with a jerk freed the rope from his grasii. 

'" Knives, men,' said the captain, and two knives, each over a 
foot long, were held threateningly over my breast. Then the 
captain a second time ordered me, on pain of immediate death, 
to accompany them to the northward. The reply was, 'You may 
kill me if you will, it makes no difference to me; thanks to (^od I 
am ready, but this is my road, and from here I will not go.' 'Are 
you preparedf 'Yes.' The idea seemed a novel one, and the 
knives disappeared, though the i)istol, with its five barrels all 
charged, still remained pointed at my face. I then asked who 
they were, and where thej^ lived, and was told that they were 



Narrow Escape from Highivaymen. 149 

^Gentlemen of St. John,' and lived under the moon. He now 
demande<l my money. I gave him a fifty-cent piece which I had 
in my^ pocket, not caring to show my purse, which contained 
about eiglit dollars — more than I could afford to lose. He 
said : — 'It is very little; have you no more?' 'Yes, but 1 need 
the rest,' which was quite true. 

He again asked for it, but in a somewhat doubtful tone, as if 
he expected to be refused, and it seemed to me that I need make 
no further sacrifice, so I told him that I could spare the half-dol- 
lar, but no more. 'Vamos, let us be off,' he said to his fellow 
bandits, and they galloi>ed on at a lively rate. 

''Eeturning thanks to God, who had so wonderfully delivered 
me from the hands of these highwaymen, I remounted and at a 
slower pace followed. Certainly it is not usual for the Mexican 
'road agents' to let their victim escape with his life, much less 
to cari'y his money out of their hands. I can only praise God, 
who, in the moment of peril, kept my mind perfectly quiet. 
When I refused to leave the road I expected to receive a shot 
instantly, and as the mind works with more than lightning rapi- 
dity the thought of past occujiations, apparently imi)ortant once, 
but now, when face to fa^ce with eternity, utterly trivial, filled me 
with shame for wasted opportunities; at the same time I had an 
unutterable gladness at the thought that sudden death was sud- 
den glory, that to leave this earth was only to leave earthly 
friends for the presence of Him who is dearer than all other 
friends. 

"While regretting the misspent time and lost oi)portunities, I 
felt great calmness from the knowledge that through the blood of 
Christ I was accepted, and was enabled to say in my heart, 'O 
Lord! deliver Thy servant in Thine own way, by life for Thy 
service on earth, or by death for Thy praise in heaven.' 

"I have often thought, and now know, that the mind can carry 
on several operations at the same time. While meditating on my 
past life, and rejoicing that the question of salvation was settled, 
I was also wondering at the same instant how it feels to be shot, 
and whether he intended to fire at the head or the heart, whether 
a second shot would be necessary, and what Mr. Purdie would 
say when he heard of it. Also I thought of the pain which the 
news woukl give at home, all a^^parently in an instant. One idea, 
amusing from its triviality, kept coming up, certainly without 
any effort of mine suddenly x>resented itself, 'Well, Mrs. Purdie 
will never get her oranges.' While so many other imi)ortant 
questions were occupying my attention, this was certainly an 
odd notion for that moment. I also remember counting repeat- 
edly the five barrels of the pistol, and even noted the carving 
of the handle with a singular curiosity.'' 



CHAPTER XXI. 

PREPAEATIONS FOR MY ABSENCE. EnCARNACION GrOl^- 
ZALEZ AND WIFE JOIN OUR MISSION, AND ARE SENT* 

TO Gomez Farias. Luciano and Angelita return 
TO Matamoros, Her death. Eulogy written by 
Calixto Lara. Concluding remarks. 

T now seemed evident that in order to permit my 
absence it would be necessary for Luciano to 
be stationed at Matamoros, and all hopes of any 
improvement in the health of Angelita having 
been abandoned it was thought best for them to 
return. The English correspondence of the Mission 
would require the presence of W. A, Walls, whilst 
Francisco Pena was but just beginning to labor in 
the public ministry^ and his wife being a firm Roman 
Catholic he could not well be located at the head of 
the Southern Mission, whilst Julio Gonzalez Gea was 
even younger in the ministry and his family would 
greatly increase the expense of his transfer. 

Just at this needy hour Encarnacion Gonzalez, and 
elder of the Presbyterian church, who had long felt 
eoUed to work of the ministry, requested for a trans- 
fer to our church, as his age was an obstacle to his 
studying for the ministry in a church requiring a 
knowledge of the dead languages, and he had but a 
limited education in his own. He was however a 
constant student of the Scriptures and a most con- 
scientious and devout Christian. This seemed provi- 
dential at that juncture, and as my health seemed to 
require it, Bro. Walls returned during the latter part 
of February 1881, and arrangments were made for 

150 



Angelita returns to Matamoros. 151 

sending Encarnacion Gonzalez and wife to the 
Southern Mission, a carriage was purchased, which 
left Matamoros on the day following my departure 
for North Carolina. 

They reached Llera in nine days, and os soon as 
they had their baggage transferred to Gromez Farias, 
our horses being used for pack animals, Luciano and 
Angelita began their toilsome return journey, being 
acompanied by Francisco Pena, 

Ten leagues from Victoria one wheel of the 
carriage gave way, and abandoning it there, they 
proceded on horseback to Victoria, where another 
vehicle was procured and in seven days' travel they 
reached Matamoros. 

Angelita was greatly emaciated, indeed they feared 
she would not reach her destination, but she ardently 
desired to see her mother and sister and to die among 
those persons to whom she was so clohely bound in 
church fellowship; and this wish was granted her. 

It is true that the surroundings at the mission 
rooms still seemed lovely to her, but the very persons 
to whom she was most closely bound in fellowship, 
and of whose home she had been for several years an 
inmate were absent, and the little babe she so much 
desired to take in her arms ere called to another 
world, was more than a thousand miles away, yet the 
house was filled by the brethren who flocked to see 
her and to listen to the earnest exhortations from 
her dying lips. 

She only survived three days after her arrival, and 
was often engaged in helping sing those hymms 
which are so full of consolation for the dying Chris- 
tian, and as death was closing upon her she aided her 
husband in singing the 136th Psalm, so full of praise 
to God for his many mercies. 

The funeral, upon the following day, was attended 
by an immense number of people, not only members 
of the two mission churches, but many friends of the 



152 Death and Burial of Angelita. 

deceased and those who had become intimate friends 
of Luciano for his hterary attainments, and including 
some of the most wealthy and influential citizens. 

She was bimed in the cemetery outside the city 
walls, where most of our deceased members lie, a 
very numerous company following the corpse to the 
grave. 

She died just as she seemed prepared for the true 
service of life, cut short ere reaching the meridian of 
her days mourned by all who knew her,and the mission 
church realized that the dear young woman who had 
been called away at but twenty one years of age had 
been to them a mother in Israel. 

They had heard her sweet voice sing the praises of 
her Lord, when a robust maiden of sixteen years, and 
had watched her growth in grace and usefulness y 
until the hand of disease had left but a physical ruin^ 
which had now been removed for ever from this scene 
of toil and suffering. 

Perhaps no better words can be found to express 
the feelings of our members than those of Calixto 
Lara, formerly our colporteur, in the following 
eulogy which was published in '^El Ramo de Olivo"' 
and which shows not only how a Mexican feels but 
how he can express those feelings. 

''VTitli deep pain I take the pen to consecrate a few lines to the 
meinorj^ of this sister in the common faith, Avho descended to the 
grave on the 28th of March.- 

''Death, perennial fountain of tears and sighs, indefatigable 
worker of oblivion, has deprived ns of seeing henceforth a sister 
in Christ, and an active member of his militant church in this- 
world of trials and sufferings. 

''It is but a little Avhile since we saw her solicitously exhorting^ 
the other members to follow with a firm step the narrow and rug- 
ged road to the celestial city, and exhorting those living in the 
darkness of error and superstition to repentance of their sins and 
to the observance of the pure maxims of the Gospel, and to 
faith in the E-edeemer of the world whose blood cleanseth us from, 
all sin. 



Eulogy by Calixto Lara. 153 

^'A little while ago we saw her with joyful and smiling counte- 
nance give bread to the hungry, and console and assist those avIio 
were suffering on the bed of i^ain. An obedient daughter, a lov- 
ing and amiable sister, a faithfid wife, a sincere and well-wishing 
friend. Her love for good was invincible, and she never (^eded'be- 
fore.the obstacles which constantly present themselves to impede 
and make difficult the exercise of this sublime virtue. 

''In vain my w^ords essay to analyze, much less express the just 
encomium due to the virtues of a person to whom I was bound 
by the cords of resi)ect and gratitude^ this is a task worthy of 
more expert pens and greater intelligence^ but it is pleasing to 
portray even though imperfectly the gifts with which Providence 
had endowed this tender flower, wilted in the morning of life. 

''Neither the muteness of the sepulchre, nor the darkness of the 
tomb, are sufficient to vail the splendid glories of great souls; no, 
their record remains engraved in indelible characters in the hearts 
of the survivors, which neither time nor evil-speaking can be- 
cloud. Her genius leaps across the bottlomless pit of oblivion 
where generations are buried, and centuries will roll by respecting 
her name and memory. 

"She has fulfilled faithfully her mission in this transitory world, 
bequeathing us an example which should be imitated by all true 
Christians. 

"Her body, inert matter which served as a tabernacle for her 
spirit, has returned to dust, because it was formed of dust, but her 
soul, where is it? It is in the presence of her Savior, enjoying the 
reward of her work, clothed in the w^hite robes of purity and in- 
corruptibility and her forehead encircled with the unfading crown 
of victory, a conqueror by faith in the merits of the Son of Man. 
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." — C. Lara. 

This death scene inspired the following remarks 
on the death bed of a Christian, which with the initials 
of the bereaved husband appeared in the same num- 
ber of ''El Ramo de Olivo." 

"How sweet, how serene and happy is the death of the faithful 
believer in the Lord Jesus! 

"Happy instant, long wished for moment, when that which is 
most in the human being, and which makes it superior to the 
brute creation, the soul, casting off its fleshly clothing, not in its 
own will, but in virtue of the divine will, flies rapidly to the place 
of eternal rest, to reunite with those who like her * have waited 
and watched for the coming of him who said. Watch then, for ye 
know not the hour when your Lord cometh. Mat. 24:42. 

* ''Alma" soul is feminine, and he evidently intends to be understood 
as speaking of the death of Angelita. 



154 Remarks on the Death of Angelita. 

"In her looks, in her words are reproduced felicity, peace and 
contentment. The calmness with which she submits to the 
sharpest pains, shows ns that in her soul a supernatural power 
is working; and this teaches and incites to bless the fountain of 
evQry good and perfect gift. 

"Oh Sublime Gospel! of a truth thou art the Good Xews, the 
consoling message of God to humanity." — L. M. 

The news of the death of Angehta reached the 
writer, just as he was entering a Bible School Con- 
ference at Back Creek, N. C. where the telegram was 
read and a sermon appropriate to so solemn an occa- 
sion was preached by Rufus P. King, and will long 
be remembered by all who were privileged to be pre- 
sent, giving a just tribute to the dear departed Chris- 
tian, and an exhortation to improve the brief years 
of our life in the service of Jesus. 





CHAPTER XXII. 

Sketch of the Mission from the death of 
Angelita to the present time. 

I ANY changes have taken place in the Friends^ 
Mexican Mission since the death of this dear 
sister. We returned to Matamoros in the latter 
part of August 1881, and resumed charge of the 
work. The sister of Angelita was married to our 
Friend W. A. Walls on the 29th of the same month, 
and they were stationed at Escandon where they la- 
bored for two years under the Foreign Mission Com- 
mittee of Ohio Yearly Meeting. 

In April 1882 the meeting under charge of Jos6 
Maria Grarza at Cadereita Jimenez, which had been 
organized as a Congregationalist Mission some years 
before, and where several desired liberty of conscience 
in regard to Baptism, which some deemed as not re- 
quired of them, accepting it only in a spiritual sense, 
was recognized by our meeting at Matamoros as a 
sister church and a part of our Mission, though re- 
ceiving no pecuniary support except books. Our 
Friend Garza was placed in charge of the prisoners 
in the city jail where a night school was started for 
the prisoners and he had good success in evangelistic 
Work among them, having been instrumental in the 
conversion of several persons who had been hardened 
in crime. 

155 



156 Work Resumed at San Fernando. 

Branch meetings have been held at San Francisco 
de Apodaca and several other towns near there, either 
by oiir Friend Jose Maria Garza or by some of the 
members of his congregation who have felt called to 
pnbhc labor for Christ. 

The vfork at San Fernando was resumed in the 
Spring of 1882 by Julio Gronzalez Grea, who opened a 
Day School. For three months after announcing his 
school no children came, but as fear began to diminish 
a few boys were sent in. This developed into a school 
of thirty pupils who were daily taught many impor- 
tant G-ospel Truths, and has resulted in the conver- 
sion of the second magistrate of the village, Santiago 
Grarcia Gonzalez, who has had charge of the Gram- 
mar classes in the school, though working voluntari- 
ly as an unpaid coadjutor. He feels called to the min- 
istry and we trust will be a useful laborer in the 
near futm^e. His sister Gertrudis G. de Uresti, has 
since been converted and has charge of a Girls' School 
at Mendez, an out-station of the San Fernando Mis- 
sion, which is sustained by the Foreign Mission Com- 
mittee of New York Yearly Meeting of Friends. Her 
school receives books free from our Publishing House 
at Matamoros, but a small stipend from parents sus- 
tains the teacher at present. Thus that station which 
gave so little promise when Luciano and Angelita 
were there, has given to the cause of Christ two able 
native laborers, who are ready to leave home and go 
forth in the Cause of their Redeemer. 

The little gathering at Gomez Farias has grown to 
a large meeting of over 100 attenders, ha\dng among 
its members the most influential residents, and a nice 
meeting house, known as Mendenhall Chapel, built by 
Richard J, and Abby G. Mendenhall of Minneapolis, 
who sustain that mission and are planning fiu'ther 
improvements. 

Luciano was married to Virginia Washington, teach- 
er of our Girls' School in December 1882, and they are 



Further Progress of the Work. 157 

now in charge of the new mission at Santa Barbara, 
45 miles from Gromez Farias, the cradle of the Mexi- 
can Reform movement of Father Lozano. The priest 
of that village had married a few weeks before they 
arrived, and is now using his influence in favor of 
the new Evangelical movement. A local Evangelical 
paper is issued every two weeks, and has an exten- 
sive circulation and influence in the whole Southern 
part of Tamaulipas, Luciano as Superintendant of 
the Southern Mission is busy organizing a circuit for 
stated meetings in several other villages of that sec- 
tion. 

In April 1882 our mission was joined by Librado 
Ramirez, who had been connected with the Presby- 
terian Mission, and who was stationed at Soto la 
Marina in August 1883. The prospect of that being 
opened as a port for foreign commerce and becoming 
a Railroad centre led us to prefer that station, but 
the failure of this latter may lead to his transfer to 
some other point. The Women Friends of Western 
Yearly Meeting have sent Ora Osborne and Lillie 
Neiger of Danville Ind. to join him in the Mexican 
field. 

The work at Matamoros has not been forgotten by 
those who watch over it, and although commercial 
depression has led to the emigration of more than 
one half of our members, including our most stable 
native elders, to other points; the attendance has not 
diminished and the Bible School is now, fall of 1884, 
in the most flourishing condition. The Grirls' School 
being led by Julia L. Ballenger, who is sustained by 
Women Friends of Philadelphia, aided by Luisa Flo- 
res, a native teacher, who is sustained by Women 
Friends of Indiana Yearly Meeting. It is now devel- 
oping into a Boarding School, with rich promise for 
the Mexican Church. 

A Dorcas Society has been organized for clothing 
the needy, and in connection with it a weekly visit 



158 Further Progress of the Work. 

to all the families of its members, with Scripture 
reading and prayer at each house, which is develop- 
ing the evangehstic effort of the female part of our 
meeting. Among the converts to Protestantism 
through these efforts is Librada Mascorro de Moreno, 
a sister of Luciano Mascorro and who had until then 
been a most resolute CathoUc, even when one brother 
was a minister, and her mother and another brother 
members of Protestant churches. 

Santos Rodriguez de Gronzalez, wife of our minis- 
ter at Gomez Farias is an able female evangelist, 
nearly equal in zeal to Angelita, and Virginia W. de 
Mascorro gives promise of good service is the Cause 
of Christ, thus we trust Grod will continue to bless 
us with native female evangelists who like Phebe 
and Priscilla, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis and 
Lydia, may prove themselves worthy successors of 
that long list of female prophets and teachers, who 
have adorned the Grospel of our Lord and Savior with 
their holy lives and their eloquent words for Jesus. 

Whilst the growth of evangelistic and school work 
has been thus enlarged, the publishing department 
has far outstepped them both. From month to month 
new calls for our religious books reach us from all 
parts of Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, from all of 
the Republics of Central America, from Cuba, Porto 
Rico and Santo Domingo [Hayti] as well as Colom- 
bia, Venezuela, Chili, the Argentine Republic and 
Uruguay in South America, and in all these we are 
supplying reading rooms and public libraries, and by 
means of our exchange papers bringing a direct in- 
fluence on the public mind, and upholding the Gros- 
pel standard as the healing balm for individuals, fa- 
milies and nations, as it will be to all who receive it 
the power of Grod unto salvation. 

These nations have drunk the cup of war to the 
dregs, have seen its devastating influence as well as 
its demoralizing tendency and many are longing for 



Further Progress of the Work. 159 

some token of permanent peace and moral and social 
progress. 

The thinking minds are alive to many important 
questions and perhaps abler arguments against the 
death penalty, and against judicial oaths have never 
been produced than those wielded by the legislators 
of Spanish America. These are special reasons why 
the Society of Friends, which has long stood almost 
alone in upholding testimonies against these and kin- 
dred evils should tend a helping hand, to present 
these reforms not from a rationalistic point of view, 
but from a Grospel standpoint, not as the elimination 
of human reasoning, but as the teachings of God 
manifest in the flesh, as the Savior of the world. 

The work has hardly begun, and there seems to be 
no limit to that which should be done now in these 
needy fields, fast ripening unto the harvest. The 
awakening now going on in the Society of Friends in 
regard to Foreign Missions is a token for good, and 
we trust that this little volume may contribute to 
foster that interest, not only in showing to those 
blessed with means the fruit of their efforts in the 
past and the opportunities of the future, but that it 
will be instrumental in fostering in others a willing- 
ness to give themselves to the Lord in these fields 
and with all the energies they possess consecrated 
wholly to his service, be ready to go forth trusting 
in Him who hath called them, and count it all joy to 
endure hai dness^ whether it be in encountering hard- 
ships or in suffering persecution for the furtherance 
of this blessed work. 

Above all let us pray unto the Master of the vine- 
yard, that he send forth more laborers into his vine- 
yard, that he raise up many among the sons and 
daughters of Spanish America, who like the subject 
of our narrative, like the noble sons and daughters of 
Spain whoe sealed their testimony to Jesus with 
their lives in the Autos de Fe of Valladolid and Se- 



160 



Concluding Exhortation. 



ville, may fulfill the injunction of the Apostle: — ''I 

BESEECH YOU THEKEFORE, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES 

OF God, that ye present your bodies a living sac- 
rifice, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO Q-OD, WHICH IS YOUR 

reasonable service." Rom. xii. 1. 




THE END. 



m 



m:i-: 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



